Invest In Love
by Arizona Robbins MD
Summary: Callie Torres has just moved to Seattle at the request of the charming Dr. Mark Sloan. That's where she meets Arizona Robbins, a charismatic and confident pediatric surgeon, who also happens to be paralyzed from the waist down. Will love find it's way between Callie and Arizona? *Calzona* *Mallie/Marizona friendships* *I do not own Grey's Anatomy or it's characters*
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This fan fiction was inspired by Tiphany Adams and the show "Push Girls". While watching the show, Tiphany really reminded me of Arizona, with her perkiness, badassery, and humor. I decided to write this story and based Arizona's injury on Tiphany's life. I have done a lot of interesting research on surgeons like Chris McCulloh and Ted Rummel, who are both paralyzed.

 ***Pretty much none of this story is canon except for the characters, setting and relationships. While the title is a reference to season 6 episode 8, this story does not follow any event that takes place in that episode.***

I hope you enjoy it, even if it is a little out of the box. Please leave reviews and feedback comments for me to read so that I can improve the story!

xoxo Arizona Robbins MD

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Callie Torres hated change.

Especially move-across-the-country-to-work-at-a-new-hospital-where-you-only-know-one-person change.

As she looked in the mirror at her outfit for the hundredth time that morning, she finally felt that the black dress and boots she was wearing would make the correct first impression for her first day. Untouched cardboard boxes were scattered across the floor of her new apartment, forming a maze from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Callie made her way to the kitchen, weaving her way in and out of the boxes that contained what remained of her life from Miami. The decision to move to rainy Seattle after living in sunny Miami was not an easy one. Callie was born and raised there before choosing to attend the University of Miami for undergrad. She did briefly make the move to Los Angeles for medical school, but soon returned to complete her residency back home. To say she is a hometown girl would be an understatement.

So that's why it was a complete shock to her family when she decided to move across the continental United States at the request of a charming-but-much-older-than-she plastic surgeon. Dr. Mark Sloan, whom she had previously worked with on a case as a resident, had called to inform her of an opening for an attending orthopedic surgeon that had opened up at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Dr. Sloan was convinced she was perfect for the job and even put in a good word for her with the Chief. The job was hers if she wanted it, and boy did she want it. Things had been a bit tense between Callie and her family lately ever since she admitted her bisexuality to her very Catholic parents. Her family had tried their best to understand and act like nothing is different, but they were still awkward about it. Callie needed a change.

It wasn't until she was standing in the kitchen of her new apartment that she realized how much she really, really hated change.

She mindlessly sipped on her coffee as she waited for Mark to pick her up. She nervously thought about all the ways she could single-handedly ruin her first day. She could perform the wrong surgery on the wrong patient. She could drop a foreign object in the surgical field. Or worse, she could kill somebody. While she knew that these were extremely unlikely circumstances, that didn't prevent the butterflies dancing in her stomach from turning into a full-blown swarm. She glanced at the clock. Mark couldn't get here soon enough.

Just then, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Torres! I'm out front. Let's go!" Mark said from the other end of the line.

"On my way down now," Callie told him as she grabbed her never-been-used raincoat and ran down the stairs into the apartment lobby and out the door to where Mark was waiting.

A moment later, she opened the door and slid into the passenger seat.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Long time no see," Mark said as he admired the talented surgeon and her first day outfit.

"Just shut up and drive," Callie laughed.

…

"This is one of the on-call rooms. You will spend a lot of time in here… sleeping, getting lucky… y'know," Mark winked. Callie rolled her eyes.

He continued down the hall and entered the next room on the right that was located conveniently across from the nurses' station.

The room had a small kitchenette, couches and a bathroom. There were bagels and coffee set up on the table.

"And this is the attendings lounge. Here. Catch," Mark said as he threw her a pair of clean navy blue scrubs from the closet.

"Hey! Who's this?" a pretty dirty blonde haired doctor in matching navy blue scrubs asked Mark before redirecting her next question to Callie. "Has Sloan gotten to you too?!"

"Uhm…" Callie stammered, looking between Mark and the shorter doctor.

"Relax, Torres. Altman here's just messing with you," Mark assured her.

"Oh! You're a newbie! Teddy Altman. Cardio," the doctor said, sticking out her hand with a smile.

"Callie Torres," Callie said, shaking Teddy's hand.

"Torres here is the future of orthopedic surgery," Mark pointed out which made Callie blush. "And yes, to answer your earlier question, she has slept with me before."

"Mark!"

"Don't worry about it. He's slept with the better half of this hospital," Teddy laughed.

"I slept with her," Mark said as he pointed at Teddy.

"True," she shrugged.

Callie's jaw dropped as she let out a giggle.

"Hurry up and get changed! You've got a long shift ahead," Mark advised her as he nodded his head in the direction of the bathroom.

…

It had been a long eight hours and Callie's shift wasn't even close to being over. She and Mark had decided earlier to meet for coffee during their break, so there she was, waiting at the second floor coffee cart admiring the view of Seattle Grace Mercy West's catwalk, waiting for Mark to meet her.

Ten minutes late, per usual, Mark finally came into view.

"Hey, what do you say we take this to go and go watch this peds trauma surgery from the gallery?" Mark asked her as Callie handed him his coffee.

"Sure, whatever gets me off my feet," Callie nodded, sipping her caramel coffee.

The two headed downstairs where the ORs were located. Callie followed Mark into two of the front row seats in the gallery. From what she could see, a girl, who looked about ten years old, was enduring what looked like a full sternotomy. Callie could tell that the young girl had been trached in the field.

"Suction! More lap pads. Where the hell is all this blood coming from?!" the lead surgeon felt around the small patient's abdomen looking for the source of the bleeding.

Callie squinted her eyes and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

The lead surgeon, whose bleach blonde hair was braided beneath her pink floral scrub cap, was strapped into the most outrageous contraption Callie had ever seen in an operating room. Though it was mostly covered by a sterile gown, Callie could clearly make out the wheels and metal frame of whatever it was.

"Little Grey, I'm gonna need you to switch with me. I can't see anything from this side," the lead surgeon looked up from the patient to the resident across from her.

The resident nodded and, with both arms up to avoid breaking the sterile field, walked around the other side of the patient. The attending's motorized contraption slowly backed up, then rolled to the other side of the table.

The surgeon glanced up, noticing her audience in the gallery, before continuing with the procedure she was performing.

"Much better. I can see her mesenteric artery much better from this angle," she nodded.

Moments later, alarms began to blare in the OR. The familiar sound made Callie's heart race.

"Okay, she's losing a lot of blood. Little Grey, what do we do now?" Callie was amazed at the calmness displayed by the lead surgeon.

"Find the source of all of the bleeding," the resident confidently answered.

"Good," the doctor in the pink scrub cap praised her.

The alarms were still blaring as the two surgeons felt around the abdomen for the bleeder.

"I can't find anything!" the resident remarked, shaking her head. Callie could hear the panic arise in her voice.

"Suction," the attending ordered as her steady hands felt along the patient's mesenteric artery. "Aha! Clamp!"

The scrub nurse placed the surgical instrument in the surgeons hand. She made a swift maneuver and glanced up at the beeping monitor. Just like that, the monitor quieted down and the surgeon took a visible sigh of relief.

"Badass! Who is that?!" Callie asked turning to Mark.

"That," Mark sat back in his chair, "is Robbins."

"Lemme guess, you've slept with her too?"

"With Robbins?! God, no," Mark laughed and shook his head. "She is my best friend though. Extremely, extremely talented. Top of her class at Hopkins. Very bright. She's so great with the kids too. If I had a sick kid, I'd trust them in her hands in a heartbeat."

The pair sat in silence for the rest of the surgery and watched the surgeons' intricate work to save their patient.

* * *

 **I hope you all like it so far! Feel free to favorite, follow and write reviews! I would love to read what you all think. Chapter 2 coming soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHORS NOTE:**

 **Thank you so much for all of the amazing reviews, follows and favorites! I am so happy that everyone is interested in this idea. Here is Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Come on," Mark said as he led Callie down the corridor towards the operating rooms. "I'm gonna introduce you to the other lady in my life."

Just as they were approaching the entrance to the OR 1 scrub room, the automatic door slid open and out wheeled the blonde lead surgeon that they had been watching from above. She was wearing navy blue attending scrubs, black and pink sneakers and a pink scrub cap with flowers and butterflies on it. She was seated in a sleek sports-style wheelchair. Callie tried not to be shocked at what she saw, but she couldn't help but stare. Sitting right before her was easily the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. The surgeon smiled when she saw Mark and rolled over to where the pair was standing.

"Well, look who it is!" the doctor laughed as she braked and locked her chair in front of Mark. "I must say, I was a bit surprised to see you in my gallery, Mark Everett Sloan."

"You know that if it were up to me, I'd never miss one of your surgeries," Mark assured her as he bent down to hug her.

She then turned to Callie.

"And you must be the ortho surgeon I've been hearing about non-stop for the last month," she said smiling up at the brunette. The surgeon then took off her scrub cap and tucked it in the pocket on her scrub shirt, revealing her pinned up blonde braids.

Callie couldn't help but take in her breath when they made eye contact. Her ocean blue eyes and deep dimples were heart-stopping. Right then and there Callie was absolutely positive that she had never seen anything more stunning in her entire life. And Callie was definitely stunned.

"Robbins. Arizona Robbins, peds surgery," Arizona stuck out her hand to the brunette, flashing a dimpled grin.

"Callie Torres," she replied. The warmth of Arizona's hands during the handshake sent chills up Callie's spine.

"Well, Callie Torres, I'm sure that I will be seeing you around," Arizona smiled as she unlocked the wheels of her wheelchair and wheeled away towards the elevator that would bring her up to the fourth floor of the hospital where the pediatric ward is.

Both Callie and Mark turned and watched her and she rolled down the hallway. Callie's jaw dropped a little, but she couldn't help it. She was certain that she had just witnessed a goddess in person.

"That," Mark said, crossing his arms across his chest and shaking his head, "is Robbins."

Callie looked at him with a look of disbelief on her face and her jaw still hanging open.

…

It had been three days since Arizona had introduced herself to the astonishing new ortho surgeon Callie Torres and she had not stopped thinking about her.

Arizona never got like this. Ever. She had always been the mysterious blonde bombshell that had women falling all over her. Now she was the one doing the falling, and this was unfamiliar territory.

She had even debated going down to scout out the ortho ward to see if she could get a glimpse of her, but thought the better of it. Instead, she went the other direction: upstairs to plastics where she could annoy the heck out of Mark Sloan.

As she entered Mark's stomping grounds, she immediately spotted him charting by the nurses' station with his fellow, Dr. Avery.

"Sloan, your girlfriend has arrived," Jackson teased as he nudged Mark before walking into a patient room.

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!" the pair shouted after him, simultaneously.

Mark then turned and looked down at Arizona.

"What do you need today, my princess?" Mark said, jokingly.

Arizona rolled her eyes and attempted to hide the smile appearing on her face.

"Okay, I need to know more about the new ortho surgeon. I haven't stopped thinking about her since we met and it's driving me insane," Arizona confessed.

"Ha ha. I knew she would," Mark smirked before putting his hands on his hips. "What's in it for me for playing matchmaker?"

Arizona glared at him before quickly maneuvering her chair to roll right over his toes.

"Ow! Ow! Okay!" Mark said winced, giving in. "What do you wanna know?"

"Everything," Arizona said, sitting back in her chair.

"Calliope Torres. 33. First year ortho attending. Born and raised in Miami. Stanford med grad. Top of her class. So frickin' talented. Lives about three blocks from the hospital. Did I miss anything?"

"Is she into women?!" Arizona asked the question that had been lingering on her mind since the moment that they met.

"Women, men, people really," Mark shrugged. "Are you gonna go for it?"

"Hell yeah, I'm goin' for it!" Arizona said as she turned and made her way towards the elevator.

"Hey, 'Zo!" Mark called after her, using the nickname he'd called her since they were in the same intern class all those years ago.

Arizona spun her chair around.

"Good luck. Keep me posted."

Arizona smiled back at him, despite the butterflies swarming in her stomach.

"I will," she replied as the elevator door opened and she backed her wheelchair in before the doors came to a close.

…

The elevator dinged and the doors opened, revealing the ortho floor. Though she had been down here more times than she could count, the dull and lifelessness of the ward always put a bit of a damper on her mood. She was much more comfortable with the animal paintings on the wall of the peds floor.

She immediately spotted the tall brunette, even though Callie's back was to her. That gave Arizona quite a good view of her ass as she rolled up next to her.

"Calliope!" she said, unable to contain the excitement in her voice.

Callie's head snapped up from the chart she was looking at and her eyes met the familiar ocean blue ones below her. Her heart began to race, but she tried her best to act cool.

"Who told you my full name?" she asked as she clicked her pen and put it in the pocket on her scrub top.

"The same person that told me that you wouldn't be opposed to going on a date with a woman…" Arizona replied, giving Callie one of her famous super magic smiles.

"Oh, he did, did he? Well he's not wrong," Callie laughed.

"So… would you be interested in going to Joe's with me tonight after our shifts are over?" Arizona asked.

"I wouldn't miss it. Hey, I have a surgery in ten. A quick radial fracture. If you're not doing anything you can come watch and then I'll meet you in the lobby? We can walk to Joe's together," Callie suggested.

"I will definitely be in your gallery, and I would love to _roll_ over to Joe's with you after," Arizona laughed.

Callie immediately realized her mistake and closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Crap, I'm sorry. I meant-" Callie stammered, trying to apologize for the insensitive term she'd used.

"Calliope, relax. It's fine, I'm used to it. I'll see you in a bit," Arizona smiled at the ortho surgeon as she headed towards the elevator to go back up to peds to finish her nightly rounds before heading to the gallery to see the legendary Calliope Torres work her magic.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Who's excited to see where Arizona and Callie's relationship goes?! Keep favoriting, following and writing reviews! I love to read all of your feedback. Chapter 3 coming soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Thank you for all of the amazing reviews, follows and favorites on the last chapter! Here's what you all have been waiting for: Arizona and Callie date night with some heavy conversations involved. I can't wait to hear what you all think of it! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

After her surgery, Callie scrubbed out and got changed into the blouse and jeans she had been wearing before work that morning. Arizona had texted her and told her to meet her by the back entrance of the hospital in the lobby.

When she arrived there, she immediately spotted the pediatric surgeon wearing a black off-the-shoulder dress. Her blonde hair was wavy from the braids she wore everyday and hung to just above her elbows.

"Calliope!" Arizona exclaimed as she saw Callie approaching her.

Callie smiled when she heard her voice as she approached where she was seated.

"Shall we?" Callie asked as Arizona unlocked the brakes on her wheelchair and the couple exited through the automatic doors.

Unlike usual, it wasn't raining outside, and since Joe's was right across the street from the hospital, it was easy for them to walk and wheel over in under five minutes. On their way there, they told each other about their days and the surgeries they each had. Arizona was about to compliment Callie on her surgical technique when they reached the front door of the bar.

Callie held the door open for Arizona and followed her in. They were immediately met with the familiar noise, darkness and smells of Joe's Bar.

"Two? Would you like a booth or a table?" the hostess asked the couple.

"Would a table be easier?" Callie asked Arizona.

"A booth is fine," Arizona replied.

The hostess nodded and led them to a booth in the corner of the restaurant. Callie sat down on one side and watched as Arizona effortlessly transferred from her chair to the booth seat across from her. The hostess handed each of them a menu and filled them both glasses of water.

Arizona smiled and admired Callie as she studied the bar's menu.

"You walked beside me," Arizona stated.

"Hm?" Callie said as she took a sip of her water.

"You walked next to me. You didn't walk ahead of me or behind me. It may not seem like that big of a deal, but I… Thanks."

"I will always walk beside you, Arizona," Callie smiled at the charismatic and confident blonde, and she smiled back.

The two made small talk for a bit before getting to a topic they could both talk a lot about: Mark Sloan.

"So you two worked together on a case when you were a resident?" Arizona asked.

"Yes. This house fire victim. Poor man. Dozens and dozens of broken bones and third degree burns on over seventy percent of his body. Mark did an amazing job on him, though," Callie explained as she took a bite of her salad. "What about you two?"

Arizona couldn't help but smile.

"Mark and I were in the same intern class. We clicked immediately. He became my best friend. Like a brother, really. He was there when my own brother died in Afghanistan. And he was there after my accident. My father is in the Marine Corps and is stationed in Singapore, so since my parents were so far away, I didn't really have anyone. Mark was my family. He slept by my bedside in the hospital for months and bought out the apartment across from his and retrofitted it to be handicap accessible for me. I'm just really, really lucky to have him in my life," Arizona's voice cracked a little as she smiled back at Callie. Callie could see tears of gratitude and love forming in her eyes.

After finishing dinner, Callie and Arizona headed back towards the hospital parking lot where their cars were left.

"That is one stylish car you've got there," Callie remarked as she approached Arizona's white Benz parked in the handicapped spot closest to the doors.

"Oh, thanks," Arizona replied, as she transferred into the driver's seat and started to dissemble her wheelchair so it would fit in the backseat of her car. "Hey, Calliope? Would you be interested in coming back to my place? Maybe we could watch a movie or open a bottle of wine or something?"

Callie was definitely interested.

"I wouldn't be opposed to the idea," Callie replied with a smile as she climbed in the passenger seat of Arizona's car.

…

Before they knew it, Arizona and Callie had finished a movie, as well as a bottle of white wine, and were now laying on the couch together in Apartment 502.

It was silent for a while, each woman just laying in the other's arms, before Callie spoke up. A question had been lingering on her mind since she first met Arizona and it always felt like the wrong time to ask. Until now.

"Arizona?"

"Mmhmm?"  
"If you don't mind my asking, what was your accident?"

Callie could feel Arizona tense up a little bit. Callie hugged her closer.

"I was in my last year of residency. I was on call that night, but decided to go home and sleep in my own bed after days of sleeping in uncomfortable on-call room beds. I was paged at 1:45 AM and was hit by a drunk driver head on at 130 miles per hour. They pronounced everyone dead on-scene, including myself. But they heard movement in the back and got the Jaws of Life to come and cut me out of the vehicle. I remember fighting for my life and praying that I'd survive. I was in a coma for a week after, and not once after I woke up did I ever have a 'why me?' moment. I'm just so grateful. Everything is a gift. Everything."

Arizona felt a tear fall to her shoulder from behind her as Callie sniffled and brushed the tears streaming down her face away. She couldn't help it. Why did something so terrible happen to such a good person like Arizona?

Arizona sat up and positioned herself so that she could see Callie's face.

"No, no, no. We're not going to do that. Nope," Arizona said, shaking her head at Callie's tears.

"Where was the break?" Callie asked, staring at Arizona through the darkness.

The silence on Arizona's end made Callie anxious.

"Arizona."

"T-10 through T-12. Complete," Arizona replied as she closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

Tears began to fall from Callie's eyes again. As an orthopedic surgeon, Callie deals with patients with this severity of vertebral injury nearly every day. But it's different when it happens to someone you care about.

"Calliope…"

"Are you in pain?"

"No, no. I haven't been in pain since I was discharged from the hospital. Callie, really, I'm fine. There is barely anything I can't do now, as a paraplegic, that I could do then," Arizona assured her. "I'm stubborn and fiercely independent. I hate having to depend on someone else or being vulnerable enough to even have to ask. I kicked Mark out almost immediately. He tried to set up camp on my couch. His one condition about leaving was that I page him 911 if I ever need anything. Occasionally I'll page him here when I need him to grab something from one of the higher cabinets so I can see his panicked, out of breath face when he bursts through the door!"

The two women laughed, despite the heaviness of the conversation.

"Do you go to PT?"

Arizona nodded.

"Twice a week. But it's mostly to keep the strength that I have left, not to gain new strength back or be able to walk again."

The women sat in silence in the darkness for a minute or two before Callie asked:

"Do you miss it?"

"Walking?"

"Mmm."

Arizona shifted on the couch again.

"Not as much as you'd think. I'm pretty content with the life I have now. At first I was devastated because I thought that I had dedicated years of my life to a career I would be unable to do as a disabled person. But I can do surgeries from my stander. Sure, it's not as swift and effortless as it was before, but I can still save lives."

"How long did it take you to get back in the OR?" Callie asked. She loved this open conversation her and Arizona were having.

"Six months to the day after the accident. Two of those months I was in the hospital recovering, two of those months I was at rehab and therapy every day, and two of those months I was back at work, rounding, charting and at bedside before I could operate again. I was so determined to get back in the OR. I refused to let some idiot who chose to drive drunk ruin the rest of my life," Arizona said with a shrug.

Callie couldn't help the shocked look on her face.

"Badass!" she exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief.

Arizona giggled.

"In all seriousness though, in the last six years that I have worked in ortho, I have never heard of a complete SCI up and standing for long periods of time in six months. That's nothing if not incredible," Callie praised her.

Arizona hoped that Callie couldn't see her cheeks blush in the dark room. The butterflies in her stomach hadn't gone away all night. Though she was usually a little uncomfortable sharing this much about her injury with someone, Callie made her feel safe. Callie's curiosity showed she cared, and it felt natural to be sharing this part of her life with her.

"In a way, this has been a blessing in disguise, I would say," Arizona confessed. "Being in the chair has helped me to connect with patients on a more personal level. They can see that I've been in their position before and that I got through it. Everyone at work has been super professional about it too. I thought it was going to be awkward coming back; I only felt like a shell of myself and it was more of a pride thing than anything. I didn't want to be seen as different. But the Chief was super considerate about the accommodations I needed made in the OR, and I was never treated any different than the able bodies around me."

Callie couldn't help but smile. Working in orthopedics, she had always seen the physical side of a spinal cord injury- she knew the prognosis and the outcomes- but she had never personally known someone who had one. Callie was interested in learning the emotional side of the situation as well.

Arizona transferred from the couch to her wheelchair and headed into the kitchen.

"Can I get you a glass of water?" she asked, as Callie stood up and shook her head.

"I should probably get going."

"No, Calliope, it's late. You should just stay over. I'll give you a ride to the hospital tomorrow. It's no problem."

"Are you sure?" Callie double checked.

Arizona nodded and wheeled into her bedroom. She came back a couple minutes later changed into an oversized NYU Med School t-shirt, with a pair of pajamas for Callie as well.

"The t-shirt is Mark's. I don't even think I own any pajamas that aren't his!" Arizona laughed as she gave the PJs to Callie and headed to the linen closet to get her a pillow and blanket for the couch.

"Thank you, Arizona," Callie thanked the blonde as she made her a makeshift bed on the sofa.

"My pleasure. If you need anything, the kitchen and bathroom are right there, and please don't hesitate to come wake me," Arizona told the taller woman.

Callie nodded, and Arizona headed towards the door to her own bedroom. Just before she entered the room, she spun around to face Callie.

"Goodnight, Calliope," she said as she shut the door to her bedroom behind her.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed the long-awaited chapter 3! I kind of wanted to split this up into two chapters, but it didn't feel natural to do so. What do you think about Mark and Arizona's friendship backstory? What about Arizona and Callie's late night deep conversation? Let me know in the reviews! Also, please feel free to leave ideas of what you would like to see in this fic in the reviews as well. I love getting inspiration from all of you!**

 *** As I mentioned in the prologue-ish thing in the first chapter, this Arizona's story is (roughly) based off of Tiphany Adams. Arizona's injury and accident story described in this chapter is what happened to Tiphany in real life when she was a senior in high school. Just wanted to point that out to everyone.**


	4. Chapter 4

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Thank you all for all of your reviews, messages, and feedback on the last few chapters! I am very glad you have all taken a liking to this story, as well as Mark and Arizona's friendship! There's a little more backstory in this chapter as well. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

"Here, I've got the door," Callie said as she grabbed her bag and held the door open for Arizona.

It was the morning after, and both women had gotten off to a bit of a late start.

"Thanks," Arizona said as she quickly rolled through the door frame just as Mark was leaving his apartment directly across the hall.

"Slow your roll, Speedy McGee!" Mark said as he stepped back just in time to avoid a collision with Arizona.

Mark looked up and saw Callie closing the door to Apartment 502 and a huge grin appeared on his face.

"So I take it that date night went a little _too_ well," Mark remarked with a wink.

"Oh, shut up, man whore," Arizona glared in his direction. "Calliope came over after dinner, and once we realized the time, it made more sense for her to spend the night. **On the couch**."

"Whatever you say, princess," Mark said with a knowing look. Prior to her accident, Arizona slept around as much as he did. He wouldn't put it past her to have gone all the way on the first date, as he was sure she'd done it before.

Mark, Arizona and Callie headed towards the elevator and down to the parking garage. Arizona's car was parked right outside the elevator and Mark's Range Rover was parked right next to it.

Callie climbed into Arizona's passenger seat as Arizona switched from her chair to the driver's seat. She had begun to dissemble her wheelchair when Mark rolled down his passenger side window.

"Hey! Don't hit my car when you're backing up or you'll be paying!" He warned. Arizona stuck her tongue out at him in response before shutting her car door.

"He's always afraid I'll tap his car on my way out. Little does he realize I'm a better driver with hand controls than he is with his feet on the pedals!" Arizona told Callie.

With that, they embarked on the short drive to the hospital.

…

Just after completing her morning rounds on her patients, Callie's pager started beeping uncontrollably.

 **911- ER**

Callie ran as fast as she could down the two flights of stairs separating the main level of the hospital from the orthopedic wing and sprinted across the lobby into the emergency room.

She gowned and gloved herself before heading outside to the bay to wait for the ambulance to arrive.

Callie was pleasantly surprised to see Arizona waiting there too.

"You got the page too?" Callie asked her, out of breath.

Arizona nodded.

Just then, an ambulance came blaring around the corner before screeching to a halt in front of the surgeons. The back doors opened and a paramedic jumped out.

"Sailor Hart, twelve years old, victim of an MVC. Traumatic amputation of right lower leg in the field. Lost consciousness en route. Vital signs are stable."

"Okay, let's take her to Trauma 1 right now. Grey, book an OR! We're gonna need one," Arizona called to her resident.

Arizona led the way through the ER to the trauma room as Callie, Owen and Alex followed closely behind with the patient.

"Arizona, get a central line started and start administering pain meds," Owen directed.

Just then, Meredith Grey peeked her head into the crowded and chaotic trauma room.

"OR 2 is booked," Meredith informed the doctors.

"Can you call down to Nurse Linda and see if we make it OR 3? Tell her it's for Robbins," Arizona asked, never taking her eyes or concentration away from her patient.

"Sure thing, Dr. Robbins," Meredith replied.

"Great. Tell the nurse we'll be right down."

Callie glanced up from her task of studying the patient's severed leg. Arizona never missed a beat during that whole exchange, but Callie couldn't figure out why she couldn't just settle for the original operating room.

"What's wrong with OR 2?" Callie asked.

Callie thought she saw Karev and Hunt exchange a look out of the corner of her eye.

"Nothing. I just don't like it," Arizona said simply with a shrug as she pushed two of epi into the patient.

"Are we ready to roll?" Hunt asked, changing the subject.

All of the doctors nodded as they transported their patient to the awaiting operating room.

…

Callie was half way through her pre-surgery scrub routine when the automatic door opened and Arizona rolled in. But this time, she wasn't in her typical wheelchair.

"Holy smokes! That is amazing!" Callie said, admiring Arizona's state-of-the-art motorized standing wheelchair.

"Ha. It better be. This thing cost me a couple paychecks!" Arizona laughed as she tied her mask over her face.

Using the elbow of her right arm, Arizona pushed the joystick on the stander forward, moving her towards the scrub sink.

"Now I'm _almost_ as tall as you!" Arizona looked up at Callie, despite the good four inch height difference that still separated them. Even though her face was mostly covered by her mask, Callie could tell she was smiling.

"Almost!" Callie laughed as she shut off the water she was using and headed into the OR, careful to keep her arms up in front of her to ensure they would remain sterile. Bokhee handed her a sterile towel for her hands and gowned and gloved her.

Minutes later, Arizona entered the room. As Arizona dried her hands on the towel provided to her by the scrub nurse, two additional surgical techs helped to gown both her and her stander. Callie now understood what Arizona meant when she said that some accommodations had to be made for her in the OR.

When Arizona was ready, she positioned herself in the role of the lead surgeon on the case. Owen and Callie, representing trauma and orthopedic surgery, were her assists and arranged themselves accordingly.

The surgery was a little touch-and-go at first and there were times when all three surgeons felt that they may lose this patient. But in the end, the team of doctors was able to reshape what was left of the young girl's tibia so that she could be fitted for a below-knee prosthesis.

"Poor Sailor has a long recovery ahead of her," Owen thought out loud as he scrubbed.

"Yeah. Lucky for her though, kids are more resilient than adults. Depending on how determined she is, she could be up and walking in a month," Arizona pointed out.

After she finished scrubbing, Arizona made her way to the hallway where Callie stood waiting with her normal wheelchair. Arizona carefully lowered her stander chair down into a seated position before unbuckling the restraints and transferring herself back into her wheelchair.

One of the nurses came and took Arizona's stander to one of the closets on the OR floor, where it would be stored until the next time it was needed.

"Phew. One surgery down, a handful more to go," Arizona said with a deep breath. She knew that early morning trauma surgeries usually meant for a loooong day.

…

"Hey, Cal," Mark said as he sat down next to her in the cafeteria.

After her early morning amputation, Callie had performed two rotator cuff surgeries as well as a knee replacement. The four surgeries she had completed so far that day called for a late lunch in the hospital cafe. Clearly, Mark was on the same busy schedule as she was.

"Hey," Callie replied as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"On a scale from one to Dead Baby Bike Race Day, how crazy has your day been?" Mark asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Ha ha. Maybe a four," Callie replied, taking another bite of her lunch.

Mark waited a couple of second before asking:

"Well aren't you going to ask me about my day?"

"Do I really care about the stitches you gave a toddler?" Callie asked, clearly disinterested in his specialty.

"I didn't give any toddlers stitches, thank you very much. I did, however, harvest some synthetic skin for a burn victim," Mark bragged.

The two sat there in silence for a bit, eating their lunches in each other's company. That's when Callie remembered the question she had for Mark.

"Hey, what's Arizona's deal with OR 2?" Callie asked. She wasn't convinced by Arizona's earlier answer and was waiting for a time to ask Mark.

"Mm? Arizona's? I don't know what you're talking about," Mark said, very obviously avoiding having to answer Callie's question.

"Come on, yes you do," Callie pushed. "Earlier, Big Grey told Arizona that she had OR 2 booked for our amputation kid, and Arizona requested it to be changed. There has to be a reason for that."

Mark heard what Callie was saying, and nodded his head before he gave in.

"OR 2 was where Arizona's spinal fusion surgery took place directly after her accident. On top of having her back snapped in half, she coded- she died- twice on the table. It was so emotionally scarring for everyone involved; I can barely operate in there without remembering everything I was feeling in that moment watching them get her back from the gallery. Arizona hasn't been in there since. She refuses. It brings up a lot of bad memories. I wouldn't blame her if she never operated in that OR again," Mark shuddered at the memory.

Callie felt so dumb. _Of course_ that was the OR where Arizona nearly died only three years before. No wonder she avoided it this morning. Callie internally scolded herself for even asking Arizona about it in the first place.

…

After lunch, Callie had one more surgery before her nightly rounds. Lucky for her, it went smoothly and the patient had no complications. Her surgery finished pretty late, which was why she was surprised to see that Arizona's car still parked in it's usual spot in the parking lot. When she was finished for the day, she headed up to peds to see if she could find Arizona before she left. Callie wanted to apologize for asking about the OR situation that happened earlier, and she also wanted to say goodnight.

She walked around the whole floor, slyly peeking into each patient room looking for the blonde, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Have you seen Dr. Robbins lately?" she asked one of the nurses at the nurses' station.

"She left about an hour ago," the nurse replied.

"Hm. That's weird. I just saw her car in the parking lot. Thanks anyway though," she said to the nurse with a shrug as she headed back into the elevator.

Callie still really wanted to find Arizona, so she thought the best person to ask about her whereabouts would be her fellow, Dr. Karev. If anyone would know where she would be, it would be Alex.

Callie reached for her phone out of her pocket and sent a quick text his way:

 **Hey. Any idea where AZ is? Car is still in lot, but nurse said she was long gone. Thx.**

She received a response almost immediately.

 **It's Thursday. She has PT upstairs til 10.**

Callie knew she could count on Alex. With that, Callie traveled up to the fifth floor where the physical therapy and rehab rooms are located. After getting off the elevator, Callie spotted Arizona working with a therapist, Dean, in the back corner of the room. She was laying on her back and Dean was holding her left leg in his hands, helping her with some basic stretches and range of motion exercises.

"Calliope!" Arizona exclaimed, shocked but happy to see the brunette walking over to her. "I wasn't expecting you!"

"Hi, Dr. Torres," Dean welcomed her with a smile.

Callie greeted the pair as she pulled over a rolling stool and sat down just as Dean switched his focus to Arizona's right leg.

"I wanted to come say goodnight before I left, and also sorry for before," Callie told her.

"Sorry for what?" Arizona looked at Callie with a confused look on her face.

"About prodding you about why you wouldn't operate in OR 2. Mark told me what happened, and I hate myself for pressuring you like that," Callie confessed, looking down at Arizona with a sympathetic smile.

Arizona laughed. The sound of her laughter made Callie's heart soar.

"Calliope, don't worry about it! You don't have to be sorry! How could you have known?"

Callie shrugged.

"I don't know… I just feel so bad-"

"Well, don't. It really isn't a big deal. Please don't feel like you have to dance around my feelings, Cal."

Arizona's ice blue eyes looked into Callie's chocolate brown ones. For a moment, Callie felt as though she had hurt Arizona more by making such a big deal of the situation than when she had actually asked her about it when they were in the trauma room. Callie really wanted to expand her relationship with Arizona and if she wanted to do that, she needed to work through the kinks. Find out what works and what doesn't, invest time and love into where it is needed, and go from there.

Arizona felt the same way. She is a very strong and independent woman, and she didn't want Callie to think of her as fragile. Arizona could feel herself falling in love with her and she wanted to see where this could go. There was something special about Callie- something Arizona had never felt with any other woman, especially in the last three years- and she wanted to see where this could go. Nobody had ever made Arizona feel the way that Callie does. Maybe Callie was her true love.

"Got it. No dancing. I'll see you tomorrow," Callie said as stood up from the stool she was sitting on.

Dean helped Arizona into a sitting position, and Callie took that moment to bend down and kiss Arizona's forehead.

Though it wasn't a real kiss, Arizona's heart skipped a beat. It was then that she knew that this was the person she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. And she wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 4! Chapter 5 will be up soon. Hopefully things will be progressing faster in Calzona's relationship from now on. :) I have been reading all of your reviews and messages and taking everything into consideration! Please keep reviewing and messaging me your thoughts on the progression of the story and on the story itself. If you have any ideas you would like to see included as well, please send them my way! xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	5. Chapter 5

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey! Long time to talk! Sorry to make you guys wait so long for another chapter! I was very busy all week last week, and then when I finally sat down to write an entire chapter, I decided that I wanted to incorporate this idea first, so I had to write another one! Haha. I hope you are all still enjoying the story! Here is the long awaited Chapter 5!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

It had been four weeks since Callie had gone to Arizona's physical therapy appointment and the chemistry between the two of them had only grown. They had had many dates in the last month: office dates, OR dates, dinner dates… and even a couple of on-call room dates. Other doctors had started noticing the faint flirtations between the two women in the operating room and around the hospital as well.

Though they barely saw each other during the day due to their very busy schedules, they savored every time they passed each other on rounds or got the rare chance to eat lunch together.

Arizona finished scrubbing out of her tumor removal surgery on a little boy with Neuroblastoma, just as Callie had finished on a knee replacement. Coincidentally, they had both finished surgeries in operating rooms across the hall from one another, and both women were about to end their shifts a little early. Their lives almost never intersect this way, and Arizona was pleasantly surprised. Callie, on the other hand, was just too tired to feel anything.

"Calliope!" Arizona smiled as she wheeled out of the OR 4 scrub room.

"Hey," Callie said as she sniffled.

The smile on Arizona's face quickly turned to protective panic.

"Oh, gosh, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Arizona's eyes grew wide.

Callie nodded.

"I think it's just a head cold, but it's so damn annoying! I just need to go home and sleep it off," Callie replied, her voice sounding raspy.

"Okay. I hope you feel better. Text or call me if you need anything, okay? Don't worry about bothering me," Arizona assured her as they parted ways.

Arizona spent the rest of the night worrying about Callie. How was she? Did she need anything? Arizona kept having to remind herself that Callie was a doctor too and that she knew that she could reach out to Arizona if it became too much for her to handle on her own. After all, it was just a little cold.

At around 11:30, Arizona's phone buzzed with a text from Callie.

 **Update- it's def the flu. Probs got it during my day in the ER. Calling in sick tomorrow. Plz go to bed and don't worry.**

While she was still concerned for Callie, she smiled at the fact that Callie knew that she was up worrying about her.

 **K. Call me if you need anything.**

Sometime later, Arizona tired herself out due to her own worrying, and eventually fell asleep. She was then awoken in the middle of the night by her phone ringing.

Her heart began to beat faster when she realized it was Callie calling her at 1 in the morning.

"Hello? Callie? Are you okay?" Arizona panicked into the phone.

Arizona heard what she determined to be Callie throwing up on the other end of the phone.

Suddenly, she was wide awake.

"Cal. I'm going over right now. I'll be there in five. Hang on, okay? I'll be there soon."

Arizona hung up the phone and called Mark. She knew he was off tonight too, and she knew that if there was anyone willing to help her with whatever Callie needed tonight, it would be him.

He picked up on the last ring.

"Arizona? What the hell? Do you know what time it is?!"

"Mark. Callie's sick. I'm heading over to her place now to go tend to her, do you want to come help me?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll meet you in the hallway."

Moments later, the two met outside their apartment doors and headed down to the parking garage.

"Torres owes me one for having me up at this hour when I'm not on call," Mark muttered.

"Shut up, okay? Callie's in her time of need and she needs us! We're being good friends!"

When they reached the garage, Mark helped Arizona into the passenger seat of his Range Rover, then climbed in the front seat after storing her chair in the back.

They made it over to Callie's apartment in record time. Callie and Arizona had exchanged keys to each other's apartments a week or so before, in case of emergencies. At the time, Arizona thought it was kind of a stupid and pointless idea. Now, she was grateful they had.

Arizona unlocked the door and twisted the knob. Mark held it open from behind her for her to roll through.

"Callie?" Arizona called out into the dark apartment.

They heard a faint groan come from the bedroom.

Mark and Arizona headed into the direction of the master bedroom. Callie's place was considerably smaller than Arizona's, and it was a challenge for her to maneuver amongst the furniture and moving boxes that Callie had been too busy to unpack.

Arizona had been to Callie's once or twice before, but she had never been in Callie's bedroom. And it wasn't until just now that she realized she wouldn't fit.

"Mark, the door way's too narrow," Arizona said with a frustrated tone in her voice. "I can't fit."

Arizona repeatedly tried to back up to readjust her angle and try to roll through the door frame, but each time she got the same result.

"Woah, woah, stop!" Mark warned, grabbing the back of Arizona's wheelchair and pulling her back. "That's not gonna do any good. You wait here. I'm gonna go assess the situation and then I'll come report it to you, and we'll go over all of the options."

"Holy crap. It feels like you're my Chief Resident again!" Mark laughed.

"Don't forget to-" Arizona started.

"Robbins. Are you forgetting that I'm a doctor?"

"Well… you're in plastics," Arizona replied, as if that explained why Mark felt she was doubting his skills to assess a patient with the flu.

"Not only am I certified in Plastics, but also in ENT. And also- I completed medical school and a general surgery residency same as you did. I'm more than qualified to treat this patient, Arizona."

Arizona gave a half-hearted smile and a little nod. She hated this. Sitting on the sidelines while other people do the work she wants so desperately to do. Luckily, it doesn't happen very often (usually only with incoming traumas), but it really frustrates Arizona when it does. Though she knows, she shouldn't feel this way, Arizona felt helpless and a teeny bit guilty. That should be _her_ tending to a sick Calliope in the middle of the night. Not Mark. Callie called _Arizona_. Not Mark.

Arizona sighed and waited for Mark from outside the room.

Mark felt his way through the dark and slowly made his way to Callie's bedside. He switched on the light and was a bit taken aback by what he saw.

"Holy mother of-!" Mark said under his breath.

"What? What is it? Is she okay?!" Arizona began to panic, leaning her upper body as far into the doorway as she could without toppling over.

Callie had kicked her comforter off of her mattress and was spread across the bed in a star-like position. Her head hung off the side of the bed and her sheets and her skin was damp with sweat. Luckily, Callie had had the good sense to place her trashcan next to her bed the night before in case she threw up (which she certainly did).

"Robbins, she doesn't look good," Mark called back to the blonde.

"What?! Should we bring her to SGMW?!" Arizona called back.

"No, no, she just shouldn't be left here alone," Mark replied, contemplating what to do. They certainly couldn't leave Callie in her current state, and he knew that Arizona wanted to help Callie herself as much as possible.

Little did Mark realize, Arizona was going through the same thought process.

"I think we need to take her back to my place," Arizona concluded. "I obviously can't help her here, and she needs 'round the clock care. We should pack her a bag and bring her back."

Mark nodded. He grabbed an empty duffel bag he found lying by her closet and filled it with all of the items Arizona dictated to him. After handing the bag off to Arizona, Mark then helped Callie out of bed.

"Hey, Torres. It's me Sloan. I've got Robbins with me too. You're really sick and we're taking you over to our place, okay?"

Callie didn't so much as grunt in response, but Mark helped her up anyways. Taking the great majority of her weight, Mark walked Callie out of the apartment and down to the garage as Arizona followed closely behind. That must have been quite the sight to see in the middle of the night if you lived in Callie's building.

They made it back to Arizona's at around 2:30, and Mark and Arizona settled the brunette down in Arizona's bed.

"Hey, I'm gonna crash here tonight, alright?" Mark said, as he lay down on one of the coaches in the living area. "We can take shifts checking on her."

Arizona yawned and nodded before resting on the opposite couch.

"Goodnight, Mark," Arizona said before she drifted off to sleep. "Thanks for helping me tonight."

"Anytime, Robbins. And I mean that."

And with that, everyone in Apartment 502 went to sleep.

…

Callie slowly opened her eyes and realized that this was not her bedroom. She looked around before realizing where she was. She was about to call out to Arizona when she felt like she was going to pass out. Instead, she dropped her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

When she looked back up, she heard the familiar sound of rubber wheels on hardwood floor before she saw Arizona in the doorway.

"Hey," Arizona said, tucking a loose strand of blonde curly hair behind her ear.

"Hi," came Callie's weak reply.

"I brought you a drink. You need to stay hydrated," Arizona said as she brought a glass up to Callie's lips.

Callie propped herself up on her arm and took a sip before swallowing and making a face. Arizona giggled.

"Ew. What is that?"

"It's an immune system boosting drink recipe. It'll help you fight off that sickness you've got."

"Well it's disgusting."

"Well it seems to be doing its job. Usually people who have the flu are sick for a week. I've only been giving this to you for three days and you haven't thrown up in…" Arizona squinted at the digital clock on the nightstand. "Eighteen hours."

"Three days?!" Callie asked, her jaw dropping.

"Yes. You called me in the middle of the night the other night and so I called Mark and we both went over to help, but I couldn't fit in your bedroom door frame, so we brought you back here. And you've just been sleeping and sleeping. I'd wake you up to fluids, but other than that, you've just been sleeping it off. Mark and I both took off the day on Tuesday to take turns caring for you, but after that, we needed to go back to work. I've sent Lexie over from the hospital every hour to check on you, and I've come over on my breaks," She informed her.

Callie then took in Arizona's clothes. She still had on her navy blue scrubs from the hospital on and Callie could see her lab coat thrown carelessly on the bedroom floor.

"But if I was in your bed where did you sleep?"

"The couch," Arizona replied simply.

"Arizona! That's not good for your back!" Arizona could hear the concern in Callie's voice. After all, she is an orthopedic surgeon.

"Relax, Calliope. I can't feel it anyways. Besides, I always could've slept at Mark's if I was in pain," Arizona pointed out.

Callie nodded before she made a face at what she smelled.

"Gosh, what is that. It smells awful," Callie remarked.

Arizona laughed. That sound was music to Callie's ears.

"It's you! You've been too out of it to take a shower since you've been here. And you stink. You wanna try taking a shower?"

"I can't stand in the shower. I'm too tired," Callie replied, equal parts exhausted and frustrated with herself.

"Here, just move to the edge of the bed," Arizona directed as she moved her wheelchair closer. "Come on, Calliope, I'll give you a ride to the bathroom."

"Are you serious?! Arizona, I'm too heavy! Your chair will surely collapse under the weight of both of us!" Callie was sure that Arizona was losing her mind.

Callie could see it in the blonde's face that she was being serious, so she gave in.

Callie eventually obliged and sat on Arizona's lap. Arizona then wheeled them into the bathroom. She rolled them up to a tile bench in the middle of the shower.

Arizona turned on the shower and left the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

As she showered, Callie couldn't help but think about how Arizona had cared for her for the last three days. They hadn't even put a label on their relationship yet, but it was at that moment that Callie knew- really, truly knew- that she would never be with another woman again.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed! Please leave reviews, as well as ideas you would like to see incorporated into the story! The feedback makes my day and I have been having a slight bit of writer's block lately, and I am open to new ideas. I hear all of the ideas you are sending me and I am trying to incorporate as many as I can into this story in upcoming chapters!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **I am SO HAPPY you are all enjoying the story so far! It makes me so happy to read your reviews! A couple of you suggested longer chapters, so this one is a bit longer than usual! Let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Pretty soon, Callie was back to her normal self. Arizona credits Callie's health to her green immunity boosting drink, but Callie insists that it didn't actually do her any good. However, Callie was incredibly grateful for the way that Arizona took such great care of her while she was sick, and couldn't stop thinking about what the future held for them as a couple. She may be jumping the gun, but she knew that what her and Arizona had was special, and she was certain that Arizona felt the same way.

Usually when girlfriends (were they girlfriends? Callie wasn't exactly sure.) felt this way, they would ask if they should move in together. Callie had always been quick to move a relationship along and she needed to find a subtle way of asking to move into _Arizona's_ apartment. It wouldn't make sense for Arizona to move into Callie's because it wasn't as accessible and it's farther away from the hospital. But could she do that? Was it too soon? It was very hard for her to tell.

Callie toyed with the idea in her mind all day, and she still couldn't make a move on it. Callie had stayed at Arizona's place countless times in the last month and Arizona had come to hers a couple times too. They both felt more comfortable with each other now than they had ever felt at any point in past relationships. Callie and Arizona connected on a soul to soul level that no past significant other could even rival.

Little did Callie know, Arizona was pondering the same topic. She loved Callie and never wanted to spend a night apart from her. She really wanted the warmth of Callie's body beside hers in her bed every night for the rest of her life. Just that thought made Arizona smile and get all tingly inside.

Arizona decided that she would ask Callie over the office date they had scheduled for tonight after Callie's shift. Arizona knew she was going to have a relatively easy day, mostly spent in her office on the peds floor, charting and doing paperwork. Callie had been working since late last night and was on call until 7 for scheduled surgeries, as well as for incoming traumas, so they had mutually decided to meet at Arizona's office and order takeout from that Chinese place they liked. Both ladies were looking forward to tonight's events, as seeing the each other was always the highlights of their days.

…

 **Hey. Heading into the OR now with a trauma. Not a kid, but I could use a hand. Wanna scrub in and make it an OR date? OR 1 in 10. Xoxo Cal**

Arizona received Callie's text five minutes to seven. Though her shift was just about to end, Callie had gotten roped into an emergency case. Arizona had already caught up on her charting and hadn't seen the inside of an OR all day, so she was more than happy to have the opportunity to be up on her feet for a few hours. She texted a quick reply to Callie before leaving her office and rolling down to the ORs to prepare for surgery.

"Hey," Arizona said as she entered the scrub room, pushing the joystick on her motorized standing chair forward, moving her towards the scrub sink.

"Hey, 'Zo," Callie smiled as she finished tying her mask on before kissing the top of Arizona's head.

"Dr. Robbins! Will you be joining us?" Dr. Hunt asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep. Tell me where you want me!"

While she loved being the lead surgeon in the OR, Arizona liked assisting just as much. She was interested in every doctor's different surgical style and technique and loved to learn tips and tricks from each of them. Arizona especially loved to assist in Callie's operating room. The way that Callie could effortlessly set a patient's shattered bone back into place in just a few hours was miraculous, and Arizona found the way Callie furrows her brows when she is concentrating incredibly sexy.

Arizona loved suctioning and retracting in the field while she admired Callie's fine work. Callie had complete and total control of her OR and remained calm and badass the entire time, even when her patient tried to code on her.

The hours passed by in minutes and before any surgeon realized, the night flew by. By the time they finished the surgery, it was close to midnight; hours since both Callie and Arizona's shifts were supposed to have ended.

"I'm beat," Callie sighed as they walked out the doors of the hospital when they finished scrubbing out and were ready to leave. "I've been at it for over 24 hours."

Arizona gave Callie a sympathetic smile. She had only been there since 9 AM and she was worn out as well.

"You wanna come back to my place? It's so much closer than yours, and you did leave a spare change of clothes and a toothbrush last time you were there. It'd be much easier for you," Arizona offered, looking up hopefully at the brunette.

"Are you sure?" Callie asked before accepting the blonde's offer. "Yes, I'd love that. Thank you."

The pair made their way over to Arizona's car and climbed in.

Once Arizona left the hospital parking lot, she swallowed before asking Callie the question that had been on her mind all day.

"So, Cal," she started. "I was wondering if you would move in with me. It's just so much closer to the hospital than your apartment, and Mark is right across the hall, and, I mean, you basically already live there anyway! But only if you want to!" Arizona stammered.

Callie laughed, mostly because she loved the way Arizona tripped over her words when she was nervous, but also partly because she was relieved that Arizona was having the same thoughts that she was.

"Of course I will, Arizona! I'm off this weekend, if you're okay with it, we can get Mark and maybe Derek to help us move all my stuff in," Callie told her.

"Oh, yay!" Arizona exclaimed. She had been nervous that Callie was gonna think that it was too soon.

Callie had a different feeling when entering Arizona's apartment tonight. This was her home now too (!). The couch where they always watched _American Bake-Off_ and _The Bachelor_ was her couch now too. It wasn't just Arizona's bedroom, or bathroom, or kitchen anymore. Callie couldn't help but smile imagining sharing her everyday life with the woman she loved the most in this world (though they hadn't actually used that four letter "L" word just yet).

"Hey, now that this is gonna be my place too, we're stocking the fridge with more than just beer and strawberries," Callie teased Arizona as they put their bags down by the door.

"Ha ha very funny," Arizona playfully sent an annoyed look in Callie's direction.

Callie followed Arizona into her bedroom and opened the drawer that Arizona had dedicated to Callie's things. She took out the boxer-style pajama shorts she had left there, along with one of Mark's old t-shirts Arizona had given her and when she was ready, climbed into the left side of the bed.

She also watched as Arizona easily changed into her pajamas as well. Callie knew all too well that changing clothes could be a difficult task for paraplegics to complete on their own, but Arizona had clearly mastered it.

Arizona slid into the other side of the bed and snuggled up next to Callie. Callie draped her left arm around Arizona's body, hugging the woman in close. They naturally assumed this position each time they slept together, and neither woman ever complained.

Arizona breathed in Callie's familiar scent and fell asleep immediately. Callie felt Arizona's breathing slow and then began to drift off herself. Just before she fell asleep, she smiled, knowing that this could be the beginning of her new normal for the rest of her life.

…

 **BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP**

Arizona's heart rate sped up and she gasped as she sat up in bed. Waking up to an alarm clock is nothing compared to waking up to a pager going off.

She glanced at the clock. Not even 4 AM yet.

"Please don't be mine, please don't be mine," A sleep deprived and a bit cranky Arizona wished under her breath

Arizona transferred to her wheelchair and went to the dresser where Callie and Arizona both kept their pagers at night. She picked up the beeping pager and checked the message before realizing that it wasn't hers and that Callie was the one being paged to the hospital in the middle of the night.

Being the heavy sleeper that she is, Callie hadn't even flinched at the annoying high-pitched beeps that were filling their bedroom. She was still peacefully snoring away. Arizona climbed back into bed and under the covers before nudging Callie awake.

"Wake up! They're paging you."

"Ugh. I'm up. I'm up," Callie replied before she walked, still half asleep, over to her pager. Just then, the other pager on the dresser started making an identical blaring noise.

"Ha!" Callie said as she took Arizona's pager and brought it over to her.

"I'm sleeping!" Arizona said as she covered her ears with her pillow. Callie un-clasped Arizona's fingers from her pillow and shoved her pager in her hand.

Arizona checked the message on her pager and pulled her hair out of her face before getting back into her wheelchair and changing into the same navy blue scrubs that Callie was now wearing. Not taking the time to braid her hair neatly like usual, Arizona messily tied her hair back in a bun as Callie threw her bed head up into a ponytail.

"Catch," Callie called over to her as she took both of their lab coats off of the hooks where they had hung them the night before and threw Arizona's over to her.

Arizona grabbed the jacket from mid-air and put it on her lap as she tied her signature Heelys on. Though she wasn't able to use them as rollerblades anymore, she still felt the comfort and sense of normalcy they provided her with while she was wearing them.

Callie and Arizona fought each other for the utilization of the sink and the mirror, both rushing to get ready as fast as they could so that they could get to the hospital.

And with that, they were out the door.

Arizona sighed. She couldn't help but remember how she was sleeping soundly just fifteen minutes ago.

…

Callie and Arizona entered the ER side by side. Owen was waiting for them with patients and assignments.

"Robbins, your patient's in bed 4. Looks like an appendix rupture," Owen instructed.

"Hold on, you paged me here at the ass crack of dawn for an appendix rupture?!" Arizona glared at him, the bags under her eyes clearly visible.

"Barnett is in, but he's in surgery. You were the only other peds attending on call, sorry. Little Grey is your resident today," Owen said as he handed her the chart.

Arizona took the chart and rolled her eyes. She saw Lexie charting at the ER desk and called for her before heading to meet her patient.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Robbins and this is Dr. Grey. We're gonna be your doctors this morning," Arizona introduced herself and Lexie as she rolled over to a blonde woman and her young daughter who were in ER bed number 4.

"I'm Jen and this is Kate," the blonde woman replied, shaking Arizona and Lexie's hands.

"Hi, Kate. I'm Arizona," the young girl couldn't have been more than six or seven years old. Her tear stained face, revealed the pain she was experiencing, but she smiled when her doctor introduced herself. "I know, it's a funny name, right?"

The girl nodded.

"So I hear that your tummy hurts. Can I look at it?" Arizona asked as she gave the girl a sympathetic smile.

Apprehensively, the young girl nodded.

Arizona examined Kate's abdomen and felt the four quadrants. Just as expected, Kate winced and let out a little yelp right when Arizona's fingers passed over McBurney's point.

"You have one angry appendix, my friend," Arizona told the young girl. She then turned to her mom. "Luckily, it's a simple procedure. She'll be in and out in an hour and is allowed all of the ice cream she wants for the next week!"

Arizona handed Lexie the chart and gave her instructions.

"Dr. Grey, while I book an OR, please get Miss Kate prepped for surgery. I'll see you in surgery."

Lexie nodded and began pushing the patient bed towards pre-op.

Arizona turned to go book an OR when Kate's mother, Jen, stopped her.

"Um, Dr. Robbins?" Jen asked with an unsure look on her face.

"Yes?" Arizona smiled up at the taller woman.

"You're not going to be performing Kate's surgery, are you?"

Arizona was confused by the question.

"Yes, I will be operating on Kate. Is that a problem?" Arizona's heart began to beat faster.

"I would like to request a different surgeon," Jen stated, making uncomfortable eye contact with Arizona.

Arizona was shocked. She had no idea how to respond. What could she say to that?!

Owen, who had been watching the interaction from across the ER, decided to speak up when he saw Arizona get flustered.

"Is there an issue, ma'am?" Owen asked. He stood confidently in his collared shirt, tie and lab coat behind the seated peds surgeon.

"Yes. I am requesting a different surgeon for my daughter's procedure," the woman told the Chief of Surgery.

Arizona and Owen exchanged a confused look.

"Can I ask why?" Owen asked, growing impatient.

"Surgeons have to be able to stand at the operating table, right? If she can't even stand, how do I know she is qualified to flawlessly execute this surgery?!" Jen exclaimed, acting as if Arizona wasn't even present.

Arizona's heart and face fell. Three years after her accident, the day had come where she was being discriminated against because of her disability. This woman had no idea what Arizona had been through, or how talented she is as a surgeon. She judged Arizona by what she could see on the outside: the look of a ditzy blonde seated in a wheelchair. Arizona's hurt turned into anger.

"I'll have you know that not only is Dr. Robbins the most talented surgeon on our staff, but she is also the department head of Pediatric Surgery. She is the best of the best; certainly the best you will find in Seattle," Owen was about as fired up as Arizona was, and he wasn't afraid to let loose in his ER. "And not that it is any of your business, but Dr. Robbins _does_ stand to perform all of her surgeries, and we do not tolerate ableism at Seattle Grace Mercy West. We have no other pediatric surgeons available, so I'm gonna ask you again: do you really want a different surgeon?"

Jen's eyes widened at the confrontation from the Chief. She hesitated before giving in. Jen shook her head and grabbed her belongings and headed towards the hospital waiting area.

After she was gone, Arizona let out a sigh of relief before spinning her chair so that she was facing Owen. Their blue eyes met as Arizona thanked him in a shaky voice.

"That's never happened to me before," her voice cracked.

Owen had known Arizona since she was an intern, and had been by her side after the accident and stood by her even today. They had grown closer over the years, and Arizona was proud to call him her friend.

Owen bent down and hugged Arizona. The tears that were filling Arizona's eyes threatened to spill out but Arizona held them back.

"Anytime, Robbins. And I mean that."

Arizona took a deep breath and nodded before wheeling away towards the ORs.

Though she was clearly shaken up over the events that had just unfolded, she needed to get her head in the game for this early morning surgery.

But how was she expected to forget about this emotionally traumatizing encounter and go on with her day?!

…

It was now 8:30 am, an hour before her shift was originally scheduled to begin, and Callie had just finished her emergency surgery from this morning. She was sure that Arizona would be out of surgery by now, but she hadn't seen her anywhere. She decided to head down to the pit to check the records and ask Owen if he'd seen her.

When she got down there, things seemed a bit quieter than usual. She easily spotted the red headed Chief and walked over to him.

"Hey Hunt have you seen Robbins around? I haven't heard from her since we came in."

Owen looked up and his heart sank having to tell Callie what happened earlier.

"She had a rough morning. Simple procedure sparked crazy discrimination debate. She seemed a little shook up afterwards. Her surgery ended a few hours ago, though. Maybe go by her office?"

Callie's eyes widened at what Owen told her. She nodded and thanked him before nearly sprinting up to the Peds ward and bursting through Arizona's office door without even knocking first.

When she entered the room, Callie saw Arizona sitting on the couch, supported to a sitting position on either side by pillows, surrounded by pieces of tear stained paperwork.

Callie's heart shattered into a thousand pieces as she made eye contact with Arizona's puffy eyes.

"Oh, babe," Callie sighed as she closed the door and sat on the couch next to Arizona.

Callie put her arm around the blonde as Arizona sniffled and nuzzled into her side. Callie's heart continued to break as Arizona silently sobbed into her. Callie stroked her hair until her cries turned into hiccups as they died down. They stayed that way for a long while before a knock came at the door.

Mark entered the office with sad eyes. There was no room for him on the couch, so he sat in Arizona's wheelchair and used his legs to push himself back and forth.

The three doctors sat in a comforting silence for a couple of minutes before Callie's pager went off.

"Crap," Callie whispered. She looked at Mark, who nodded.

"I've got her," Mark said, standing up and taking Callie's seat on the couch.

Arizona whimpered at the loss of body contact when Callie left, but snuggled into Mark's lap when he sat down.

Arizona looked up into Mark's eyes and silently pleaded for an answer as to why she had to go through something like this. Someone disregarding her decade of training and thinking that she wasn't capable of being a surgeon because she couldn't walk.

Mark read her mind and shrugged.

"I don't know why this shit happens to good people. I don't know why someone like you had to endure something like that. I don't have the answers. I fully believe that you were chosen because God knew you could handle this and rise above it, Zo. And you have. And you will continue to do so."

Arizona reached up to her neck to grasp the cross pendant on her gold necklace. Mark had given it to her while she was in the hospital. While she was in a coma, Mark had gone from a non-believer to a religious man thanks to all of the praying he did while he sat at her bedside. He saw God's miracles through Arizona's life, and frequently told Arizona that she was his miracle. Arizona wasn't totally sure if she was a believer or not, but regardless, she never takes her cross necklace off.

As Mark continued to rub her back, he could feel the six inch vertical scar that ran up and down her lower back. It had healed well over the years, but he could still make out the familiar grooves from under her scrub top.

They remained that way for a long time; just taking in each other's silence and company. This was the peace Arizona had needed in her already stressful day.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter! As you can probably tell, I based their wake-up scene off of the one at the beginning of 6x08! I believe friendships are equally as important as romantic relationships, so aside from the usual Calzona content, this chapter also included the Marizona and Owizona friendships I adore! As always, please, please, PLEASE leave me reviews and messages about your thoughts on the chapter and story! I hope you like where this is going! :)**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi everyone! Sorry to make you wait so long for the next chapter! I went on vacation right after I posted the last one and was away from my laptop, and I have been so busy with working this week! Just finished this chapter though, and I think you're gonna love it! Don't forget to leave a review after you finish it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

"Robbins? Torres? Where's this going?" Derek asked as he walked through the door of Apartment 502 holding a large cardboard box labeled "Picture frames".

"You can just set that one in the living area for now," Arizona directed him. Derek made his way over to the living room and put the box down behind the couch.

It was Saturday, and after their long, busy, and eventful week, Mark and Derek had come over to help move Callie's belongings from her apartment across town into Arizona's. Callie and Arizona had promised them beer and pizza to compensate for their hard work, and the men were more than willing to help out.

Earlier that morning, the four of them made the trip over to Callie's and loaded up the car with Callie's things. This task was particularly easy because of the fact that most of the boxes were still untouched from when Callie moved to Seattle months ago.

As Mark and Derek unloaded Derek's Porsche and brought the boxes upstairs, Callie unpacked and Arizona organized and put everything away in it's rightful spot.

Arizona leaned down to pick up one of the boxes that contained Callie's clothes so that she could bring it into the bedroom. The box was heavier than she expected, which lead to the back wheels of her wheelchair lifting slightly off the ground, startling her.

"Woah!" Arizona exclaimed with surprise before sitting back up to avoid toppling over.

Callie looked up as Arizona regained her balance. She left the couch where she was unpacking a box of shoes and made her way over to Arizona.

"Here, I got it," Callie said as she bent down to pick the box up. She placed the box on Arizona's lap as Arizona gave her a relieved smile.

"Thank youuu," Arizona replied as she turned her chair and made her way to the bedroom.

While unpacking the box, Arizona noticed that Callie didn't have too many clothes. This was a good thing because it meant that Arizona had to sacrifice only less than half of the space in her drawers and closet.

From start to finish, the whole unpacking process took about two hours. Before long, the chic little apartment became cozier and felt a lot more homey. When they were finished, Callie called the pizza place down the street and ordered a large half cheese half Hawaiian pizza. Arizona and Mark had an intense obsession with pineapple on pizza. While it seriously annoyed and bothered Callie, she chose to look past it. Before returning to the dining room table where they were sitting, Callie fetched four Bud Lights from the refrigerator. When she opened the refrigerator door, she noticed it's emptiness and made a mental note to hit Whole Foods tomorrow to stock up the fridge and pantry so that they wouldn't starve.

"Damn, this place looks nice!" Mark marveled as he leaned against the countertop, cracking open his beer.

"It definitely does," Arizona nodded.

The surgeons talked about the recent surgeries they had performed this week (all agreed that Derek's grapefruit sized glioblastoma removal was the coolest), as well as what was going on in their personal lives (Arizona and Callie watched on in amusement as Mark and Derek bickered about whether Mark was allowed to pursue Lexie Grey or not). Before the argument was over, the doorbell rang and the pizza arrived.

The hungry foursome dug into the pizza box, not bothering to use plates. The pizza disappeared in under ten minutes, with Arizona and Mark consuming most of it, leaving Derek and Callie with only one slice each.

"Remind me to order two pizzas next time!" Callie laughed as Arizona took another bite out of her third slice. "I forgot how big of an appetite you two have!"

Arizona flashed a super magic smile in Callie's direction, and Callie laughed at the spot of red pizza sauce on her chin.

About a half hour later, Derek and Mark left and went back to their own homes, leaving Arizona and Callie alone in their cozy "new" apartment.

As Mark walked across the hall to his own place, he realized that this was the first time in the three years since Arizona's accident that he had felt completely anxiety-free leaving her apartment. While he knew that Arizona was very capable and independent, in the back of his mind there was always a lingering fear that something would happen to her while she was alone. Would she fall out of her chair and hurt herself? What if there was an emergency and she couldn't get to the door fast enough? It was his overprotective big brother instincts that were in full force. Being as stubborn as she is, Arizona always insisted that she was fine on her own and pretended to be annoyed by Mark's concern, when in reality, she was actually grateful that Mark cared so much about her. It was moments like these where Arizona saw how cut out Mark was to be a father. She would never tell him that though!

Mark let out a sigh of relief as he walked into Apartment 501. He looked back at the closed door of Apartment 502 and smiled before closing his own door. He couldn't believe his two favorite women on the planet were in love. At that moment, Mark realized that he was actually happy. Not just the "fake happy" feeling you get when something goes right in your life, but a real, genuine happiness. Glee. He wished and hoped that this could go on forever.

…

"Hey, we forgot to unpack this box," Callie said as she sat down on the couch. She pulled the cardboard box labeled "Picture frames" closer to her and opened it.

Arizona rolled over and locked her wheels in place and watched as Callie pulled out the first picture frame. She watched as a soft smile appeared on Callie's face and a look of nostalgia filled her eyes.

"This was my Confirmation. I was sixteen. Look at how proud my abuela looks!" Callie said, holding the picture frame so that Arizona could see. In the photo, Arizona could make out a young Callie standing at the altar alongside her grandmother and a priest. Arizona smiled and handed the frame back to Callie.

Next, Callie pulled out a large photo album. She wiped the layer of dust off of it and opened it up. Her face immediately lit up when she saw the first picture.

"My first day of middle school. Look at the hair!" Callie laughed at her old self, sporting some teased hair tied back with a scrunchie.

"I think I have one of those albums myself somewhere…" Arizona replied as she unlocked her wheels and rolled away from the couch, disappearing into the bedroom doorway.

Moments later, she returned with a scrapbook on her lap.

Callie moved over and took the scrapbook as Arizona transferred from her wheelchair to the spot on the couch right next to Callie. She opened the scrapbook and was stunned by the first picture inside.

Arizona let out a little gasp in surprise as she stared at the photo of her, her older brother Timothy and their best friend Nick. The three kids- who could not have been more than eight or nine years old- were all posing with their bicycles in front of a sunflower patch. Callie looked over Arizona's shoulder to see what had turned the usually talkative woman speechless. Callie noticed Arizona's unmistakeable confidence, even as a young girl, and recognized the familiar determined grin and fire in her eyes.

"This was when we lived in Missouri. We lived right outside of Columbia in a small town called Fulton. We lived there for most of my elementary school years. It's where we met Nick. He was our next door neighbor and me, him and Tim were connected at the hip 24/7. I haven't seen this photo in forever…" Arizona marveled as she turned the page.

The next photo was of Arizona learning to Hula dance. She was on a white sand beach with a beautiful view in the background. Arizona smiled.

"This was from when we went to Hawaii for the 45th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. They honored my grandfather at a ceremony, so my whole family made the trip. We loved it so much that we stayed on the island for two more months! Perks of your dad being in the military, I guess!" Arizona laughed.

"This certainly isn't as cool as Hula dancing lessons in Hawaii but here's a photo from my first and only ballet recital. One year was certainly enough for me! I ended up taking up softball a year later and played for the rest of my childhood. I played a little in college too," Callie shared.

The two women went back and forth, each sharing some of their fondest memories from their childhood as they came across old photographs. Arizona shared photos from when she lived in Bahrain, France, Germany and Tahiti, while Callie showed photos of her holding her sister Aria after she was born, as well as shots from her quinceanera and her senior prom.

As she approached the end of her scrapbook, a photo made Arizona stop and take in her breath. Callie watched as Arizona held the Polaroid, silently staring at it for a couple of minutes. Callie thought she could see tears beginning to well up in Arizona's eyes.

"What is it?" Callie asked after a couple of minutes.

Arizona sniffled as she handed the photograph to Callie.

Callie took in the photo. A young teenaged Arizona rollerskating along the sidewalk of some coastal European city. Her tanned complexion made her ice blue eyes pop even more than they usually do, and her bleach blonde hair was tied back in a french braid. Arizona's smile was so prominent that you could easily notice the presence of her dimples. The bottom of the polaroid was labeled "AZ- Portofino, 1991".

Callie looked back up at Arizona as she handed the photograph back. She could clearly see the tears in her eyes now, and they threatened to spill over.

"Hey," Callie put her arm around Arizona and pulled her in close. "What's wrong? Do you want to talk about it?"

Arizona sadly shook her head.

"No, it's silly."

"Arizona, you're upset. I can tell it's something that means a lot to you. And if it means a lot to you, it's not silly to me." Callie assured her, wiping a stray tear off of Arizona's cheek.

Arizona's blue eyes met with Callie's chocolate brown ones. Arizona could see that Callie cared for her. What she had with Callie was still so fresh and fun, and she didn't want to ruin it being so overly emotional all the time. After all, Callie did witness her emotional breakdown in her office earlier in the week, so she didn't really want to have another one in front of her right now. But Callie was right, this _was_ something that meant a great deal to Arizona, and Arizona felt like this was something she should be sharing with Calliope, especially if they were going to get serious with their relationship.

Arizona sat straight up so that she was looking into Callie's eyes. In one hand, she held the photograph, and in the other she held Callie's hand. Arizona drew in a shaky breath before beginning.

"I used to roller-skate. My family used to move around a lot, which was really scary. But whenever we'd get somewhere new, first thing, my dad would take me skating. And so no matter where I was in the world, that would stay the same. And I felt safe. I did it in college and I did it in med school, and then I did it when I first got my job here. Working with kids, it kind of made them feel safe, too."

Callie nodded. When she saw Arizona's eyes start to get watery again, she squeezed her hand three times to let her know that it was okay for her to continue. Callie was there, and she would comfort her through this story.

"But after I woke up from my accident, they told me that I lost the use of my legs- that I was paralyzed- and all that I could think about was I'll never be able to skate again. And a lot of my life would change, but that seemingly tiny thing felt like... I felt like my whole life was being taken away from me. And that all the stuff that my dad had given me, you know, all the magic and all the safety, was just gonna be gone." Arizona was done trying to hide her tears, and let them spill freely onto her pale cheeks.

With her free hand, Callie wrapped it around Arizona and gently rubbed her back. Arizona's hyperventilation slowed down until she was breathing regularly again. After a few moments, she continued.

"Before my first day back at the hospital, while Mark was still camping out on my couch, he surprised me with a new pair of Heelys. When I opened them, I cried and cried. The tears came from happiness, because he knew that that's what I would have needed my first day back, and also from sadness because I felt like I could never use them again," Arizona told Callie, her voice beginning to shake again.

"Back in the beginning, Mark would come to all of my PT appointments, and one day he got my PT on board to let me try using an exoskeleton brace. Mark had me put on my Heelys and he held me and helped me as I 'skated'," Callie smiled as a smile appeared on Arizona's face as well. "I was so happy to be able to see him _almost_ eye to eye again. And I'm a crier, so you know that I happy cried about that too!" Arizona laughed, tears still sliding down her face.

"I still wear the Heelys everyday. It kinda feels natural now, but this will never be normal. Waking up and having to transfer into a wheelchair will never be normal for me- I was an athlete! I used to skate and… and… and run! And seeing pictures like that one from Italy when I was fifteen… it just brings it all back. Reality. This is my life. I'm a paraplegic," Arizona's voice cracked and she closed her eyes as she said that last sentence. She looked out into the darkness of the room in frustration before turning and looking up to meet Callie's eyes.

"Eventually I skated again. And my worst fear was wrong. It took time, but it was worth it. It was everything. I have so much joy in my life right now. More than I could've possibly imagined in the weeks after the crash. I have you, and I have work that I love, and I'm okay. I'm great," Arizona swallowed and nodded.

Callie's heart burst as Arizona finished talking. Callie used the hand that wasn't on Arizona's arm to brush the loose blonde curls off of her face. Barely registering what was about to happen, Callie leaned in. Arizona was surprised by the action, but she didn't pull away.

There, on the couch in their apartment, Callie and Arizona shared their first _real_ kiss. Time stood still until they came apart, both smiling and looking into each other's passion-filled eyes.

That moment was everything.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing this one. As you can probably tell if you're up to date with the show, I based Arizona's heart-to-heart with Callie off of her monologue with the patient in 14x22, changing details here and there to fit this story! I hope you liked reading this chapter. Please leave me some reviews so I can know what you think! If you have any ideas for this story, feel free to leave those as well!**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	8. Chapter 8

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi all!**

 **I've been getting some reviews from people saying that they don't like the fact/don't think it is realistic that Callie and Arizona would move in together before having a first "real" kiss (aside from cheek/head/forehead kisses)-**

 **My thought process, from a writer's perspective, is that a couple doesn't necessarily have to show physical affection right away to know that they are made for each other. In my particular story, Callie and Arizona are taking things rather slowly, but they are both on the same wavelength as far as their emotional connection is concerned. They may not have made out or had sex yet, but they both felt that the time was right for them to move in together, based on where their own relationship is, and the accessibility (or lack thereof) of Callie's apartment. It wasn't logical for them to be splitting their time between the two places when they could stay full-time in the apartment that is handicap accessible and closer to the hospital. That was my main thought while writing the story, and I like to think that that is what was going through Calzona's minds as well. Some couples would not feel the same way, and that is okay! Every couple does things differently and at their own pace. This is just the pace that this version of Callie and Arizona seem to be moving at.**

 **Keep in mind, this is not your traditional couple. They work long, grueling hours rarely seeing each other during a work day, as well as the fact that one of them is disabled. They don't necessarily have the spontaneity of your "usual" couple.**

 **Just wanted to address this because of some of the reviews I got! If you would like to talk more about it, please don't hesitate to PM me! I am always open and willing to discuss ideas (if I am approached politely, that is).**

 **Regardless of your opinion on Callie and Arizona moving in together before their first meaningful kiss, I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I am having a lot of fun writing it.**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

" _I have to get to the hospital. I have to get to the hospital." Arizona kept repeating to herself over and over as she drove up the crowded city streets._

 _Even at quarter to two in the morning, Seattle was bustling. Finally, the light she was sitting at turned green, and Arizona pressed the gas as she entered the intersection. She glanced over her left shoulder just in time to see two bright headlights coming towards her. She gasped._

"Ah!" Arizona screamed as she sat up in bed.

Arizona's scream woke Callie up as well, and Callie turned on the lamp as fast as she could. Callie slept like a rock, and was often very drowsy when woken up, but at this moment, she had never been more awake.

When light filled the room, Callie saw Arizona hyperventilating, one hand supporting her into a seated position on the memory foam mattress, the other covering her face.

"Hey, hey, are you okay?" Callie asked as she sat back down on the bed. Callie leaned over so that she could attempt to make eye contact with Arizona.

Still, covering her face, Arizona nodded, releasing the arm that was supporting her up. She fell back onto her pillow and rolled over so that she was facing away from Callie.

"Arizona…" Callie tried again. "You can tell me anything."

In her heart, Arizona knew this, but at this moment, she didn't want to relive the crash memory that had haunted her for most nights over the past three years. She just wanted to go back to sleep.

Callie understood Arizona's silent cues. She knew that Arizona didn't want to talk about it, but also knew that Arizona needed her support to know that she can open up to Callie about her night terrors.

Callie draped her right arm over Arizona's body, and held her hand. She cuddled up to Arizona, taking on her role as the big spoon. Callie kissed Arizona's cheek as she heard her softly whisper:

"Can we leave the lights on?"

Callie's heart broke a tiny bit, as she replied.

"Of course we can."

Arizona has been through so much and Callie just wished that she could take away her pain. Though the physical pain of the accident had long worn away, the various emotions from the crash were still fresh.

Minutes later, Arizona and Callie fell back asleep, listening to each other's calming breathing and soft heartbeats.

…

"Hey. Wake up, sleepyhead. It's Sunday."  
Callie awoke to the blonde woman's perky voice and her hand shaking her awake.

"Huh? Oh. Hi," Callie said as she smiled at Arizona.

Arizona laughed as she made her way across the room to open the curtains to let some natural light in the room.

Arizona was dressed in leggings, a workout shirt and sneakers. Her hair was tied back in a bouncy ponytail accompanied by a headband. It was clear to Callie that she had already been up for hours.

"I went to the gym with Mark to lift this morning,and stopped and got us breakfast on the way back. Come on, hurry up before it gets warm!" Arizona wheeled out of the room as Callie followed.

Arizona had left out acai bowls and coffees on the countertop for her and Callie to eat for breakfast. Though Callie would much rather have preferred a PopTart, she didn't complain.

Callie sat down at the kitchen counter and pulled her food closer to her just as Mark walked in the front door.

Mark was dressed in shorts, sneakers and a cut-off tank top. He was holding an iced coffee and a bagel.

Callie looked from him to Arizona, and back to him.

"This just… happens? You just, like, walk in?" Callie wondered out loud.

Arizona looked up, she hadn't even realized that Mark had walked in. It was so normal for her that she just tuned him out most of the time.

"Oh, perfect timing! Help me into the barstool chair?" Arizona asked Mark, batting her long eyelashes.

"Anything for you," Mark said as he smiled down at her.

Arizona grinned as he bent down and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her by her back and under her legs as he lifted her up out of her chair and into the chair next to Callie.

Callie hadn't thought about the fact that Arizona couldn't (easily) transfer from her wheelchair to the barstool that was so high up. She internally made a note to make a habit of sitting at the dining room table more often.

"Sunday morning lifts, Torres! You want in?" Mark asked as he flexed his arm muscles.

Arizona laughed as she looked over at Callie. She sipped her coffee and waited for Callie's response.

Callie vigorously shook her head.

"We barely get two days off a week and I like to sleep!"

"Weak! You're weak, Torres!" Mark said as he took a bite of Arizona's acai bowl before heading out the door back to his own place.

Callie and Arizona both watched him walk out before returning their attention to their breakfasts. They quietly ate for a few minutes before Arizona spoke, breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry for waking you up last night," she apologized softly.

"You don't need to-"

"It was about the car accident," she said, still staring down at her food.

Callie looked at her, and Arizona lifted her gaze to meet Callie's.

"My nightmare."

Callie nodded.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Arizona shook her head.

"They happen a lot. I mean, _a lot_. I have them more often than I don't. I just… what I'm trying to say is… thank you."

"For what?"

"For loving me anyways."

…

"Arizona, turn on the news!" Callie rushed into the living room from where she was making their bed in the bedroom.

"Arizona turned her chair away from the sink where she was washing the dishes and headed to grab the remote control off of the coffee table. She clicked on the TV and switched to the news station.

"A train has derailed in Seattle. Hundreds of victims are wounded, as well as several fatalities have been reported," the news anchor said.

"Mass casualty," Arizona said under her breath as she looked over at Callie.

"We should probably get over there, don't you think? To help," Callie replied.

After thinking for a second, Arizona nodded.

"So much for our day off," she said as she wheeled into their bedroom so that she could start changing into her scrubs.

In a matter of ten minutes, both Callie and Arizona were ready to go. They were prepared for a long day ahead, even though it was already past noon. As Callie opened the door to the apartment, she noticed Mark leaving his as well. Apparently he had the same idea when he heard the news.

"Mass casualty?" Mark asked, as Callie and Arizona joined him in the hall.

Arizona nodded as she placed her lab coat, her cell phone, and her car keys on her lap as she began down the hallway.

Followed by Callie and Mark speed-walking behind her, Arizona came to a quick stop when she noticed a piece of paper taped to the elevator door.

 _CLOSED FOR REPAIR_

"Looks like we aren't going anywhere any time soon," Arizona said as Mark and Callie stopped on either side of her to read the notice.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Mark growled in exasperation as he read the piece of paper.

"How does the building manager expect you to get down the stairs if there were a fire?!" Callie huffed as she took out her cell phone. "I'm calling him right now to give him a piece of my mind!"  
Arizona placed her hand on Callie's arm and shook her head.

"Don't. Even if you called him now, it probably wouldn't be fixed before all of the chaos died down at the hospital. Plus- I'm pretty sure they encourage you to use the stairs in an emergency like a fire."

"It's crappy maintenance and crappy timing is what it is! We don't pay this much a month to not be able to leave the building at our own leisure! Someone call Hunt and tell him we're not coming in then," Mark said as he turned around to head back to his apartment.

Callie began to follow him before Arizona raised her voice in protest.

"Woah, woah, woah. Absolutely not. You two are gonna put on your big kid scrubs and go down the freakin' stairs. Get Karev or Barnett or Stark to come in now, then I'll meet you guys at the hospital when the elevator's fixed," Arizona instructed them. Arizona was not about to let her disability keep Mark and Callie from saving lives at the hospital.

Callie and Mark looked at each other, considering Arizona's request, before Callie's eyes lit up.

"I have a better idea. Why doesn't Mark carry you down the stairs and I'll get your chair?" Callie explained. "Then the most talented peds surgeon at Seattle Grace will be able to help."

Mark nodded, but Arizona was hesitant about the idea.

"We live five stories up! There's no way I'm putting you through that much trouble," Arizona told them.

The trio heard an ambulance siren pass the building as Mark replied:

"C'mon. I insist, 'Zo. A stupid elevator shouldn't determine if you are or are not able to do your job. You're better than that. And, hey, what did you think those Sunday morning lifts were for?!"

Arizona rolled her eyes at Mark's last comment as she smiled. Though it hurt her pride to allow Mark and Callie to carry her downstairs, she was really grateful to have such good friends.

For the second time that morning, Mark bent down so that he could pick up Arizona. As he carefully started to walk down the stairs one by one, Callie easily disassembled Arizona's wheelchair and followed Mark and Arizona. In that moment, Callie was very grateful that Arizona had chosen such a lightweight and portable wheelchair style.

As they slowly but surely made their way down each flight of stairs, Mark had to stop a few times to adjust his grip on Arizona so that he didn't drop her.

"Remind me to up my weights at the gym next week- I'm out of shape!" Mark huffed as they neared the bottom of the stairwell.

Arizona threw her head back and laughed. Mark smiled at the sound of her giggles and briefly thanked God that she was still here. Mark would carry her down a billion flights of stairs if it meant that she would still be with him. In retrospect, Arizona's paralysis was such a small price to pay for the many years of life she would now get to enjoy.

As they entered the lobby, Mark walked over and set Arizona down on a bench. He slumped against the wall to catch his breath as Callie handed Arizona each part of her wheelchair as she reassembled it.

Glancing around the lobby, Callie saw and felt the stares of strangers as they watched the unusual sight like it was a _telenovela_. They made her a little uncomfortable, but Mark and Arizona were so accustomed to it that they didn't even notice.

One of the stares was coming from the man at the front desk. Mark noticed him watching and the snarky look he seemed to be casting in Arizona's direction. Mark was not in the mood to deal with his ableist views, so he took that moment to call him out.

"Hey, why don't you call and get the elevator fixed so that your building's residents are able to go to work!" Mark said, shooting an annoyed look in the man's direction.

The employee turned as pale as a ghost when confronted. He nodded before disappearing to the back room.

Arizona rolled her eyes at Mark before transferring from the bench to her chair. She adjusted her feet on the footrest and rolled over to push the button for the automatic door opener.

The events of her hectic day so far didn't so much as phase her as she strolled out on to the sidewalk, with Callie and Mark close behind.

…

Just as they expected, the ER was insanely chaotic when they arrived. Owen spotted them almost immediately and assigned them all to cases.

"Thanks for coming in today guys, we really need all hands on deck," Owen told them as he started handing out charts.

"We would've been here earlier, but we had some…" Mark began.

"Accessibility troubles," Arizona finished as she opened her chart.

"Regardless, I'm just happy you made it," Owen replied. "Robbins, you're in Trauma 1, Torres, in Trauma 3 and Sloan, you're in Bed 4."

Arizona nodded as she headed towards the trauma room she was assigned to. When she got close enough to the door for the sensors to go off, the automatic door slid open and she rolled through.

Derek and Teddy were already busy treating the patient, with help from April. The trauma room had a sense of controlled chaos, which made Arizona feel at home.

"What do we got?" she asked, dressing in a trauma gown and gloves.

"Luke Harbor, five years old. Sustained head and chest injuries after his train went off the track. Dr. Shepherd wants to take him for a head CT, but Dr. Altman insists she needs to take him to surgery right away," April reported.

"Head CT first. Always," the experienced pediatric surgeon advised the two other doctors. "He may have an epidural bleed we don't know about."

"Well, it's not gonna matter if we get a scan if he dies from a sucking chest wound before we get there!" Altman furiously replied.

Arizona silently and quickly assessed the patient. She looked over the young boy's vitals and injuries before coming to her expert decision.

"Rush him to CT, then straight to an OR. I'll book one now. Hurry, though. We need to get him in there," Arizona nodded as she called down to the nurses' station to book an OR before there wasn't any left to book.

"Hey, it's Robbins. I've got a five year old male with an open pneumothorax and possible brain injury coming down," Arizona told Nurse Linda on the other end of the line.

"We only have one operating room available," Nurse Linda informed her.

"Great. Book and supply it. We'll be right down," Arizona said with a sigh of relief.

"Dr. Robbins. It's OR 2."

Arizona felt as if the breath was sucked out of her lungs and her heart stopped beating. She swore she would never enter that room again, let alone operate there. Her heartbeat raced and her palms sweat as she realized she needed to make a decision.

What was more important: her personal struggles or the life of a young patient? She bit her lip and closed her eyes. This was really happening. She needed to work in the room she had _died_ in before.

Arizona clutched the cross pendant on her necklace and took a deep breath before telling the nurse:

"That's fine. Book it anyways."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed Chapter 8! Sorry it was kind of short. I know a lot of you have been requesting longer chapters and I promise that Chapter 9 will be longer! I just felt like this chapter was a little all over the place, and this seemed like a good cliffhanger to stop on! Please let me know what you are thinking about the chapter by leaving me a review and/or a private message! Reading your thoughts really make my day! If you would like to leave story line suggestions as well, I would be very grateful.**

 **I hope you are all enjoying this story so far!**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	9. Chapter 9

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi all! So sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger for so long- I definitely did not expect it would take me so long to update! Here's Chapter 9! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

With shaky hands, Arizona hung up the phone.

The trauma room was now empty, and she just sat there alone in silence.

Could she really do this? What if she had a panic attack during surgery? They didn't happen very often, but they happened often enough that it was a possibility. What if she got all gowned and gloved and just couldn't bring herself to roll into the operating room? A million thoughts raced through Arizona's head.

Regardless of the circumstances, Arizona needed to get down to the OR floor so that she would have time to transfer into her stander and scrub before her patient was prepped and ready for surgery.

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath before wheeling herself through the automatic doors of Trauma 1.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Arizona was positioned in her stander and entering the scrub room. Arizona continued to take deep breaths to calm her central nervous system in this time of extreme anxiety.

She reached over to turn on the sink and started to scrub when the door burst open. Expecting it to be Derek or Teddy, she was surprised when she saw Callie standing in the doorway.

Callie had clearly run all the way here from wherever she was in the hospital when she heard the news that Arizona was operating in OR 2 and was out of breath.

"I just heard. Are you good?" Callie asked with widened eyes.

Arizona hesitated before nodding.

"I… I think so. It's just the same as any other OR, right?"

Callie's face broke into a soft and sympathetic smile.

"It is."

Though deep in her heart, she knew this wasn't just "any" operating room, Arizona was determined to do her job by saving her young patient as if it were.

Arizona continued to scrub as Callie walked over and stood by her side. Callie glanced down at Arizona, and Arizona lifted her gaze from her scrubbing to meet Callie's eyes. She gave her a sort of sad, panicked look that told Callie that Arizona desperately needed to get out of here.

Callie watched as Arizona's deep blue eyes began to water. She was scared. So, _so_ scared. And there was nothing that anyone could do to help her.

As the first tear spilled over, Callie placed both of her hands on Arizona's cheeks and wiped away the tear with her thumbs.

Arizona stopped trying to hide the tears and let them spill freely on to her cheeks. She looked away from Callie's face, unable to meet her eyes.

"Hey. Look at me. Look at me," Callie begged.

Arizona hesitated, but she gave in and looked up at Callie.

"You are outstanding. And I love you. If there is anyone that can save this patient, it's you. Please, listen to me. You. Are. Great."

Arizona stared into Callie's brown eyes for a moment before nodding. Callie was right. This room may be the OR where she coded before, but she was not about to let that happen to her patient.

"And I'm staying. I'm watching from the gallery, so if you need anything, I'll be up there. If you're struggling, look for me," Callie told her.

"But you have patients!" Arizona protested.

Callie shook her head.

"My patient wasn't surgical and every ortho doc is here already. They won't miss me for a few hours."

Arizona smiled. What had she done to deserve Callie?

Just then, the door to the scrub room burst open again. Mark, who was just as out of breath as Callie was, entered the scrub room.

"What the hell, Robbins?!"

"I'm fine. I'm about to operate and I'm fine."

"But you said-" Mark began.

"I know what I said. But I'm fine. I can do this. I have to face OR 2 sooner or later, and isn't a mass casualty the perfect excuse?" Arizona joked, using sarcasm to cover up the nerves she was feeling.

Mark sighed. He knew better than to fight a battle he wouldn't win against his stubborn best friend.

Arizona smiled at him. Though it was somewhat forced, and definitely not as "super magic" as her usual ones, Mark smiled back.

Mark walked towards her until he was close enough that he could give her the biggest hug he could give. This one was even bigger than the one he gave her the first time she stood, albeit with assistance, after the accident. Arizona was taking her life back and he couldn't be more proud.

Though Arizona couldn't hug him back because of her soapy, wet hands, she rested her head on his shoulder and breathed in the intoxicating scent of his cologne.

"You got this Zo. Remember, Joshua 1:9," Mark whispered in her ear, mentioning the Bible verse he frequently recited, which references being strong and courageous in everything you do.

Callie believed in her, Mark believed in her. Now was the time where she needed to believe in herself.

Callie tied Arizona's surgical mask on her face as she finished scrubbing.

"I love you both tremendously," Arizona smiled beneath her mask at Callie and Mark before they left the scrub room.

Arizona was only alone in the scrub room for a few seconds before Teddy and Derek joined on opposite sides of her.

Derek slipped on his ferry boat scrub cap and tied his mask as he turned to Arizona and asked:

"You ready for this, Robbins?"

Everyone knew that it was a big deal for Arizona to be operating in OR 2 after what happened to her, and everyone was checking in to make sure she was okay.

Arizona nodded.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied as she pushed the joystick on her stander with her elbow, maneuvering away from the sink and towards the sliding door that would take her into the room she swore she would never enter again.

Teddy and Derek watched in suspense as Arizona paused before entering through the automatic door.

As soon as she entered, the scrub nurses helped to gown and glove her as her patient was finished being prepped for surgery.

 _This is just any other surgery_ , Arizona kept reminding herself as she approached the table.

Teddy and Derek had decided on a simultaneous craniotomy and median sternotomy for the patient, and Arizona was available to help in whichever way she could.

After Altman, Shepherd, and Kepner, who was assisting, were gowned and gloved, the four surgeons were positioned in their spots by the table.

"It's a beautiful day to save lives," Derek stated.

Arizona nodded.

Callie watched from above as Arizona placed a gloved hand on her patient's sternum.

"Scalpel," Arizona requested. Callie held her breath from the gallery.

Ready to make her first incision, Arizona positioned her hands on the patient's chest. Her heart felt like it was going to explode, but on the outside she remained cool, calm and collected.

Looking up at Callie for guidance before she cut, Arizona nodded up as Callie nodded back.

With steady hands, Arizona sliced through the patient's flesh and began.

…

"Blood pressure is dropping. He's in V-Fib," April reported as the machines in the OR started blaring.

Arizona's heart rate sped up. Her breathing began more irregular and labored. She could feel the sweat dripping down her face.

Callie jumped up from where she was seated in the gallery. She paced as she watched Arizona closely. They had just hit the three hour mark into the surgery. Thankfully, everything had gone smoothly so far. Until now.

"Internal paddles! Charge to 100! Clear!" Teddy ordered.

Nothing.

"Charge to 150. Clear!"

"Come on, come on…" Callie whispered under her breath. Callie knew that this patient had to live and thrive in order for Arizona to ever be able to operate in OR 2 regularly again.

After a slight hesitation, the machine returned to its normal, comforting beeping sound.

"He's back," April reported.

April and Teddy resumed the surgery in the patient's chest, as Derek continued to work on his brain. Arizona backed her stander away from the table, careful to keep her hands sterile. She needed a minute to breathe and compose herself.

"Robbins?" Derek checked to see if she was okay, never taking his eyes off of his patient.

Keeping her eyes closed, she nodded.

"I'm good. I'll be over in a second, I just need…" she trailed off.

"Can we get a washcloth for Dr. Robbins, please?" Derek directed the scrub nurse.

"No, it's fine," Arizona began to protest.

"Just take a moment. Arizona, you need to breathe," he insisted.

The scrub nurse came over and dabbed Arizona's forehead with the cloth.

"Thank you."

Arizona rejoined the surgeons at the table, ready to resume her position as assist.

"Pickups, please," she requested.

"Hey, I just got out of surgery. How's she doing?" Mark asked as he entered the gallery.

His navy blue scrub cap was still on his head as he sat down next to Callie, placing his hand on her thigh.

"Slow but steady. A couple of rough patches- they almost lost him- but she's good. She's great," Callie informed him.

"That's my girl," Mark replied, fixing his gaze down on Arizona.

Arizona looked up to the gallery and was pleasantly surprised to see Mark sitting beside Callie.

She watched him grasp Callie's hand as he nodded to her. Though Arizona could tell that he was just as nervous as she was, Mark and Callie's visible support pushed her through the rest of the surgery.

…

"Hey, babe. You did it," Callie said with the biggest smile on her face as Arizona came out of the scrub room.

Arizona gave them a grateful, but visibly exhausted, smile as she moved her stander over to where Mark and Callie were waiting with her wheelchair in the hallway. Callie kissed the top of Arizona's head.

"I'm so proud of you," Callie told her as Arizona lowered herself down to sitting position so that she could transfer to her chair.

"I'm just so tired. It wasn't even a five hour surgery and I'm beat," Arizona confessed as she switched chairs. One of the nurses came and moved her stander to the supply closet where it would be kept until she needed it again.

"You were running on adrenaline," Mark reminded her. "Of course you're tired."

Callie nodded. Just then, her pager went off. She checked it before groaning to the others.

"They need me in the pit," she complained. "I love you and I'm so proud of you. We're having date night tonight to celebrate, how's that sound?"

A smile appeared on Arizona's face.

"I'd like that," she replied.

Callie bent down and kissed Arizona before running off towards the elevator. Mark and Arizona watched her leave before Mark turned his attention back to his best friend.

"But really… how'd it feel?"

Arizona sighed. She didn't really know how to answer. She shrugged.

"Well, I'm not saying that I'm going to regularly perform surgeries in there, but I think I'll be able to do another one if I have to."

Mark smiled.

"Baby steps, princess. I'm so, so proud of you."

Arizona thought she saw a tear glisten in the corner of his eye as he kneeled down next to her chair. Taking her hands in his, he said:

"Having the opportunity to watch you take back your life after that night has been one of the great privileges of my life. I love you so much and there will never be a day where I'm not proud of you."

Arizona's dimples appeared as she smiled, and her eyes watered.

"Shut up. Stop making me cry," she laughed as she hugged Mark.

When they pulled away, Arizona took off her pink floral scrub cap and placed it in the pocket of her scrub top.

Like a big brother would, Mark took that moment to ruffle her hair. Arizona rolled her eyes in response.

"C'mon, let's go get you a coffee and something to eat. I'm gonna tell everyone in the cafe about how you just saved a patient in the room that you died in, like it was no big deal," Mark told her.

With that, they headed side by side towards the elevators, Mark's left hand resting on the back of Arizona's wheelchair.

…

Callie knocked on the bedroom door.

"Hey, pretty lady, you ready to go? Our reservation's in fifteen minutes!"

Moments later, Arizona opened the door and wheeled out wearing a white shirt and a jean skirt paired with white Converse shoes. Once she was out in the open of the living area, she spun her chair around.

"How do I look?" she asked the brunette.

Callie could barely keep her jaw from hitting the floor.

"I think you look sexy in scrubs, but you look even sexier in a skirt!" Callie replied.

Arizona gave her a confident smile.

"You don't look too bad yourself!"

Callie twirled in her navy blue dress.

"Where are you taking me that we are getting all dressed up?" Arizona asked.

"It's a surprise."

After Callie's last surgery of the day, she had made reservations at one of the fanciest restaurants in Seattle. Her and Arizona hadn't been on a _real_ date night in what felt like forever, and with Arizona's monumental surgery today, it felt like the perfect time to celebrate.

Minutes later, they were in Callie's car driving to the restaurant. They listened to country music, a genre they both were surprised they enjoyed, on the way over; both women belting out every word to all of the songs. Callie drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other on Arizona's thigh, mindlessly tracing circles on her leg with her fingers.

Arizona watched as Callie's fingers danced across her soft pale skin, and desperately tried to remember the feeling of someone's hand on her leg, with no avail.

Before long, Callie pulled the car into a handicapped space out front, taking Arizona's handicap parking placard out of her purse and placing it on the dashboard so they wouldn't get a ticket.

"Calliope! You shouldn't have!" Arizona exclaimed as she realized where they were.

Callie and Arizona had been talking about trying this place forever, and tonight they finally would!

After getting out of the car, Callie held the door open for Arizona as she rolled through the doorway.

"Do you have a reservation?" the hostess asked.

"Yes, it should be under Callie."

"Two?"

"Yes."

"Right this way."

The hostess led them to a table outside on the deck. The table was right on the water and had the most amazing view. One of the chairs on one side of the table had already been taken away so that Arizona could easily slide right in with her wheelchair. Just one more reason to love Callie- she thought of every accommodation ahead of time so that Arizona didn't even have to worry about it. Arizona's heart swelled.

"This is beautiful, Calliope, thank you," Arizona said sincerely.

"We have to stop and celebrate the little victories every once in a while. And today was definitely a victory worth celebrating," she replied.

A waiter came over with a bottle of champagne and poured it into their awaiting glasses.

"To you," Callie toasted, holding up her glass filled with the bubbly beverage. "And to the little victories we don't always get to commend."

"To little victories."

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed Chapter 9! I'm sorry if the chapters become a little more spaced out from now on, as my school is starting back up and I won't have as much time to write as I usually do. But, I promise that I will keep this story going! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter by leaving me a review or a Private Message! I always enjoy reading everything you all have to say about each chapter!**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	10. Chapter 10

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi everyone! I am so sorry it has been so long since I last updated! I have been so busy with school and extracurriculars, but I have been writing a little bit every day! I finally got around to finishing this chapter and it is a little longer than the ones I usually write. Let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Callie hummed as the hot water dripped down her face and body. The temperature of the shower had already steamed up the bathroom mirrors and windows, but Callie didn't notice as she shampooed and conditioned her dark hair.

Callie softly sang to herself as the water washed away all of the soap suds. Stuck inside her own little world, Callie didn't even notice someone enter the bathroom.

"Hey!" A man's voice called out.

Callie practically leapt in the air out of fright.

"Mark! What the hell!?" Callie yelled, covering up her body parts despite the fact that Mark was unable to see through the fogged up shower door.

"I thought you were Robbins. My bad," Mark replied as he backed out of the bathroom.

"She went to get us coffees. She'll be back any minute," Callie told him as she rolled her eyes.

"Got it. I'm going now," Mark said as he closed the bathroom door behind him.

All peace and serenity of her morning shower gone, Callie shut off the water and toweled herself off. When she entered the bedroom, she changed into a pair of navy blue scrubs and tied her wet hair up in a towel turban.

As she opened the bedroom door, she was not at all surprised to find that Mark had made himself a bowl of cereal and was now sitting at the kitchen counter, dressed in identical dark blue scrubs.

Mark looked up and grinned when he saw Callie's stern look.

"In my defense, I had no idea it was you in there!" He laughed.

Callie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure you didn't," Callie replied sarcastically.

Just then, the apartment door opened and Arizona entered, with two Starbucks coffees in a tray on her lap.

She had barely made it through the doorway before both Callie and Mark started yelling in her direction.

Arizona held up one finger, signaling she needed a minute. Both doctors stopped yelling. She took a long sip of her coffee before lowering her finger.

"Okay, what is going on?" she asked.

"Mark walked in on me showering!" Callie whined to her girlfriend, feeling a little bit like a child tattling on their sibling to her mom.

Arizona's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Mark.

"I _thought_ it was you," Mark said to Arizona before turning back to Callie. "Also, what difference does it make? It's not like I haven't seen it all before," Mark shrugged as he took Arizona's coffee out of her hand and took a sip before handing it back to her.

"Mark! Arizona!" Callie exclaimed.

Arizona closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"Mark. I love you. I _love_ you. But I don't live alone anymore. I don't need you popping in whenever you feel like it. It's been nearly four years since the accident; I am more than capable of handling things on my own. And now I have Callie to help me if I need it," Arizona said, taking Mark's hand and looking up into his eyes. "Now that Callie and I are dating, we need to set boundaries. I love that you're across the hall. I love knowing that you're always there when I need you, and I love knowing that you will protect me no matter what. But Cal and I need privacy and space. To be a couple. I promise that we will still hang out just as much as we do now. You just can't barge in here whenever you want anymore. Okay?"

Mark saw the sincerity and love in his best friend's eyes. Reluctantly, he nodded. She squeezed his hand before letting go and spinning her chair back towards the front door.

She opened it and motioned for him to leave.

"We'll see you in an hour at the hospital," she assured him as he walked across the hall to his own apartment.

She closed the door after he left and flashed Callie a super magic smile.

Callie smiled back and slowly walked towards Arizona.

"That was incredibly hot," Callie told her, as she raised one of her perfect eyebrows.

Arizona bit her lower lip and shrugged, still smiling up at her girlfriend.

As soon as she was close enough, Callie bent down so that she was the same eye-level as Arizona. She leaned in and passionately kissed Arizona, noticing the coffee taste on her tongue. Arizona grabbed the back of Callie's head and leaned into the kiss.

When they finally pulled apart, Arizona smiled a dimpled grin and laughed.

"Well, good morning to you too!"

…

It had been a long morning of boring scheduled surgeries, since she wasn't on call for trauma today, and Callie had been greatly looking forward to her lunch break.

After paying for her lunch, Callie found Arizona at an empty table and put her lunch tray down. Arizona was munching on her kale salad and smiled as Callie came over.

Callie let out a sigh of relief as she sat down.

"Ah. It feels so good to finally sit down," Callie said, taking a bite of her pasta.

Arizona nodded.

"I'm sure it does. You've been standing all day," Arizona affirmed her, looking down at her salad.

Callie internally cringed at herself, realizing that she was taking for granted and complaining about a simple task that Arizona would give anything to regain: the ability to stand.

As Callie swallowed her first bite, her pager began to beep loudly.

 _ **SLOAN- 911**_

 _ **ER**_

Callie groaned as she pushed away her tray.

"What is it?" Arizona asked as she ate another bite of her lunch.

"It's Sloan. 911 to the ER. I'm not even the on-call ortho surgeon today. Could he not have just paged Carlson for this?! Ugh," Callie informed her, standing up.

"If I don't see you until later, have a great rest of your day. I love you," Callie told Arizona as she bent down and kissed the top of her head.

"Love you too," Arizona replied as Callie ran out of the cafeteria in the direction of the emergency room.

Once again, Arizona was alone at the lunch table.

"Are you kidding me?! You paged me 911 for… what? A bone bruise?" Callie asked, with a clear tone of annoyance in her voice when she made it to the ER and found Mark treating a superficial knee injury.

"No. I didn't page you 911 because of a patient," Mark told her, briefly looking up from his precise sutures. "I paged you to tell you something. About Arizona. Given the events of this morning, I was afraid if I hadn't paged you 911, you wouldn't have come."

"You're right. I wouldn't have," Callie replied, crossing her arms before pulling over a rolling stool so that she could sit beside Mark.

"It's just that tomorrow's the anniversary… of… well, you know," Mark started.

Callie was puzzled for a moment before she realized he was talking about the anniversary of Arizona's car accident. Callie's heart sank.

She nodded.

"And since this is the first time you will have known her at the time of her anniversary, I wanted to prepare you."

"Prepare me?"

"Yeah. Hunt always gives her the day off, but she never takes it. She always heads into work in hopes of keeping her mind off of it, also because the day usually falls on the day the new interns come in. She's always either really depressed or bitchy- there's no in between. It's always a really hard day for her, and she'll need your support, even if she acts like she doesn't," Mark informed Callie.

Callie nodded slowly.

"Thank you," she looked into his eyes.

Mark gave her a half-smile back.

"Anytime."

…

Their alarm clock went off at 8 o'clock in the morning, just as it always does. Callie rolled over so that she was facing Arizona.

Arizona's eyes remained closed, even though Callie was positive she was awake. Callie brushed Arizona's hair away from her face and kissed her forehead.

"Hey, pretty lady. Time to get up now. Don't wanna be late," Callie whispered as she stood up and walked over to their shared closet so that she could start getting ready.

Arizona pulled the covers up over her head and rolled over so that she was laying on her stomach.

"Nope. Today's cancelled. Come back when it's tomorrow."

Callie rolled her eyes as she pulled her scrub top over her head. Callie is typically the one that can't get out of bed in the morning, so for their roles to be reversed was quite unusual, even given the circumstances. Mark told Callie to support Arizona, not to let her push her around.

"Arizona, come on. You're going to be late. Please, get up," Callie pleaded.

Callie made her way around to Arizona's side of the bed and pulled the comforter back. Arizona hid her face under her pillow so that all that was visible to Callie was her tank top and her boxer shorts. The edge of her top was pulled up a little bit, revealing her surgical scar.

Arizona was being quite stubborn, but Callie knew her all too well and knew exactly how to coax her out of bed.

Callie smiled to herself as she used her strong hands to manipulate and relieve Arizona's sore and tense back and neck muscles. Callie started at her neck and shoulders and moved her way down towards her lower back. She felt Arizona relax in her hands and she knew that that's exactly what she needed to start her day.

"You really just made me love you even more than I already did. How is that even possible?!" Arizona smiled at Callie as she sat up and moved her legs over the edge of the bed, pulling her wheelchair closer before transferring into it.

Callie smiled back as she finished getting ready. She brushed her teeth and tied her shoes at the same time so that they could be out the door before they would be late.

Arizona positioned herself in front of the mirror so that she could put her hair in her signature braid into a low bun hairstyle. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she stuck her tongue out slightly in order to achieve the perfect braid.

Due to their little massage session this morning, Callie knew they were not going to have time to make breakfast here or get fast food on the way, so it looks like they'd be having hospital coffee and attendings' lounge donuts today.

"Okay, you ready?" Callie asked as she gathered her things and grabbed her keys.

"One second. I can't get my stupid shoe on. Ugh!" Arizona said, frustrated.

Callie put down her purse.

"Can I help?" she asked, mindful not to overstep.

After a slight hesitation, Arizona nodded and leaned back in her chair.

Callie bent down and grabbed the Heely shoe that lay next to Arizona's chair. She carefully guided Arizona's foot into the shoe, wiggling it when she reached a troublesome spot.

"Thanks. One thing nobody ever tells you about being a paraplegic is how hard it is to get your shoes on when you can't wiggle your toes," Arizona shared.

Callie smiled and nodded as she picked up her purse and they headed out the apartment door.

…

"This is not general surgery in miniature. These are the tiny humans. There are the children. They believe in magic, they play pretend. There is fairy dust in their I.V. bags. They hope, and they cross their fingers, and they make wishes. And that's what makes them more resilient than adults. They recover fast, survive worse. They believe. In Peds, we have miracles and magic. In Peds, anything is possible," Arizona smiled at the six new interns that stood before her.

It was their first day, and not too many of them were thrilled to be on Arizona's service. Peds isn't for everyone, and, well, the wheelchair just isn't a very good conversation starter. It was more of an elephant in the room the new doctors would attempt to ignore until the day they didn't see the silver rimmed wheels and the metal frame, but the talented young surgeon who sat in it.

Arizona was trying her best to be her normal chipper self, but the mostly uninterested interns combined with the ominous date on the calendar, it was proving to be very difficult.

Arizona saw the bored look on most of her new interns' faces. She was training the future of medicine- possibly the future of this hospital's pediatric surgery program! Her goal was to make this a rotation they would never forget.

"Despite what you may think right now, you did not 'get stuck' with the Peds rotation your first day. Only the most hardcore surgeons go into Pediatrics," she told them.

One of the interns snickered.

She raised her eyebrows in his direction.

"You don't believe me? Wait and see."

And with that, she spun around and wheeled through the double doors leading into the Pediatric ward of the hospital.

Minutes later, Arizona led her team into one of the patient rooms.

The patient's eyes lit up when they saw Arizona enter the room.

"Well hello there, Miss Felicity!"

"Say, 'Hi, Dr. Robbins!'" The young girl's mother cooed.

The girl, Felicity, was hooked up to a C-Pap machine and was laying flat in the hospital bed, with her legs resting on a pillow. A small smile appeared on her face in response.

Arizona waved and smiled at the girl before turning to her interns.

"Who's presenting?"

"Um, I am," a short brunette intern raised her hand and stepped forward, opening the chart she held in her hands.

"Felicity Brown, ten years old. Diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 at three months, here for Dose 2 of Spinraza treatment, as well as a G-Tube replacement," the intern read.

"I will be replacing her feeding tube tonight, with one of you as assist. I will decide based on who shows the most exuberance and promise throughout the day," Arizona announced.

At the mention of scrubbing in, the interns began excitedly chatting amongst themselves. Now _that_ was the buzz Arizona had hoped to create over Pediatric surgery! Arizona excused herself and the young doctors out of the patient's room and left them to begin the charting she had left for them.

She rolled down the hall and into her office. When she opened the door, she found a bouquet of flowers waiting on her desk, next to a pizza box. When she came closer, the card that belonged to the flowers. It read:

 _Thinking of you on this day. You are so loved, Arizona!_

 _Love, Mom and Dad_

She smiled as she put down the first card and attempted to read the note scribbled on the cardboard pizza box. She laughed, immediately recognizing Mark's messy handwriting.

Hey 'Zo. Just letting you know I love you. Stay strong, kiddo. Paralysis' got nothin' on you!

Mark (and Callie!)

P.s. it's Hawaiian

Seeing that Callie had scribbled her name next to Mark's made Arizona smile even bigger. She was so lucky to have people in her corner who cared about her and were always lifting her up (literally and figuratively).

Before she had a chance to even open the pizza, her pager beeped.

 **911- INCOMING PEDS TRAUMA**

Arizona unlocked the brakes and quickly pivoted her chair and opened the door. All of her followers were slouched over their charts at the nurses station.

"Okay! Here's when the real test comes in. A peds trauma is ten minutes out. Let's head down to the pit and see where you can help," Arizona told them.

Moments later, she and the interns were getting gowned and gloved in the ER before heading out to the breezeway to meet the ambulance. As she put on her gloves, Arizona noticed that it wasn't too busy of a day in the pit, just busy enough to keep things interesting.

Her six first years were lined up, waiting for her next command.

"Robbins, we're gonna need to book an OR. Just got word that the patient will need immediate abdominal surgery," Hunt called in from just outside the automatic doors where he stood waiting for the rig.

Arizona nodded before addressing her interns.

"Okay, while I book an OR, go get the Peds gurney in the hall. We're going to have to go straight to the operating room."

All six of their heads bobbed up and down as they all scurried away.

 _This is bound to be an interesting day…_ Arizona thought to herself. Though, she couldn't really complain, as the chaos that ensued with having six clueless shadows was easily enough to take her mind off of the anniversary.

Arizona booked the OR, and was wheeling towards the automatic doors, when her interns came rushing back. They didn't see Arizona's head over the gurney before it was too late.

 _CRASH!_

The power of the six of them pushing one child-sized stretcher sent Arizona flying out of her wheelchair when they collided. There was a gasp from everyone on the ER.

"Robbins!" Alex yelled, catching a glimpse of the accident from outside where he was awaiting the trauma.

He ran inside to find Arizona rolling over and supporting herself on her forearms after landing on her stomach.

"Are you okay?!" Alex panicked, looking from a discombobulated Arizona, to her overturned wheelchair, to the six panicked doctors, still standing by the gurney.

Alex knelt down and leaned Arizona's upper body against his knee so that she was sitting up.

"I'm fine," Arizona grumbled as she brushed a stray hair away from her eyes as she reached for her wheelchair.

Arizona had fallen out of her wheelchair more times than she would like to admit, but never at work- and certainly never in front of her colleagues and mentees.

Alex looked up at the brood of interns, still standing there with their jaws on the floor.

"Go make yourself useful! You're not helping by staring at her like she's a circus sideshow! Go! Scram!" he yelled at them.

She turned her wheelchair right side up as Alex picked her up, with one hand under her legs and one hand supporting her back. He placed her in her chair, and Arizona adjusted her legs on the footplate.

The sirens were getting louder now, so she took a deep breath and began to head outside towards the trauma bay before Hunt stopped her.

"Karev, page Barnett to help me with this case. Clear a trauma room for Dr. Robbins and get her settled. Then page doctors Sloan and Torres. I'll stop by before I head into surgery to examine her," Hunt ordered.

Karev nodded and pushed Arizona's wheelchair towards an empty trauma room as she protested.

"Owen-!"

"Arizona. Please. Listen to me," Owen sternly replied to her, their blue eyes locking.

Arizona took a deep breath before nodding reluctantly.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I promise I will update as soon as I can! Please leave any and all reviews and feedback you have! It makes my day reading it!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Surprise! Another update! I was feeling really inspired this weekend and I spent a lot of time brainstorming and writing. I really hope you all enjoy this chapter- I think it might be my favorite one so far!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

"Alex, I'm telling you. I'm fine!" Arizona protested as Alex lifted her onto the table to examine her.

"You don't know that," Alex replied, taking the penlight out of the pocket of his lab coat and shining it in Arizona's eyes to check her pupils' reaction.

"Alex, this is silly. I need to get back-"

Just then Mark came bursting through the door of the trauma room, a look of sheer panic on his face.

"What the hell happened?!" he exclaimed, fear present in his voice.

"I'm fine! I was-"

The doors opened again, but this time it was Callie that ran in.

"What happened?!" she asked, equally as concerned as Mark.

"I'm fine! I was hit with a gurney and I fell. _I'm fine_ ," Arizona attempted to assure them.

"What do you mean you fell? How hard? Are you hurt?! Karev, is she hurt?!" Mark demanded the answers to all of his questions.

"Dude, I saw the accident. Her dumbass interns sent her flying out of her chair. She appears fine, as of now, but Hunt's gonna come in and check her out in a few," Alex explained. "And I thought Bailey got stuck with the dud interns this year…"

As if on cue, Owen then entered the room, snapping on latex gloves as he walked.

"Robbins, any head pain? Neck pain? I'm worried about a possible concussion. You fell pretty hard," he said as he had her follow his finger with her eyes.

"A slight headache, but other than that I'm fine. Promise," Arizona informed him.

Owen gave her a bit of side eye, knowing how stubborn and tough Arizona can be. He continued on with his exam, asking Arizona to touch his finger then her nose, to count backwards from 50, as well as a few simple medical related questions as well.

"Into which intercostal space would you insert a chest tube?" he asked. He knew that even a second or third year resident would know the answer to this question.

Arizona's mind was blank. She has performed maybe a billion insertions before, but at this point in time she had no recollection of how to do it.

Callie and Mark exchanged a look as Arizona silently tried to think of the answer. Eventually, she gave up and just flashed Owen one of her super magic smiles, hoping that would do the trick.

Owen shook his head.

"I'm officially diagnosing you with a mild concussion. I'll order acetaminophen for the pain. In the meantime, I want you to lay low. Take over a patient room for the day or go hide out in your office. Take it easy," Owen cautioned. He then turned to Callie.

"I have to scrub in on a kid with Barnett now, but I trust you'll do a thorough ortho exam?" Owen confirmed, knowing that Callie would continue to examine Arizona after her fall.

Callie nodded. Owen left the room and Alex followed behind him, leaving just Arizona, Mark and Callie.

Callie tucked her hair behind her ears and began checking the range of motion in Arizona's extremities. It proved difficult, even for a talented orthopedic doctor like Callie, to come to a conclusion about her condition considering the fact that she has no reflexes in her legs due to her level of spinal cord injury.

Callie helped Arizona lay back on the table so that she could continue to inspect her body, specifically her pelvis and legs. If Arizona had broken a bone in her fall, she wouldn't have been able to feel it.

"I think we should order a full body scan, just to be on the safe side," Callie concluded. Arizona rolled her eyes.

"Calliope, don't you think you're being a _little_ dramatic? I'm not presenting with any symptoms or injuries," Arizona argued, beginning to get a little pissed off. She loves that they care so much, but why couldn't Callie and Mark just listen to her?!

"No injuries that you know of. Don't forget that you don't have sensation in fifty percent of your body. We need to make sure that you aren't injured, 'Zo," Mark said as he crossed his arms over his chest, growing equally as frustrated as Arizona.

Callie could sense the growing tension between the two of them, and tried her best to settle it.

"Mark's right. We need to check everything out and make sure you are okay. More than anything, we hope that nothing serious is going on, but we need to be positive before we allow you to do anything else."

Arizona, realizing she was being irrational, closed her eyes and nodded, giving in.

Mark stood and picked Arizona up, helping her transfer from the high table down to her chair. Once seated, Arizona adjusted herself and unlocked the brakes so that she could begin to maneuver herself.

"Let me," Mark told her as Arizona leaned back in the seat and allowed Mark to push her chair.

Callie followed the two down the hall towards the LODOX scan machine. There wasn't a line for the machine, so Mark and Arizona entered the LODOX room, and Callie headed into the scan viewing room. Mark helped Arizona get settled on the machine's table before pulling her wheelchair back and standing towards the wall, ready for the scan to start.

"You know how this goes, sweetie. Thirteen seconds you'll be done," Callie assured Arizona over the intercom.

With that, she started the scan. The state of the art machine was quieter than a normal CT scan, but it still made a loud noise as it took a full body image of what's going on in Arizona's body.

Moments later, Callie called out "Done!", and Mark and Arizona met her in the scan viewing room.

"You're all clear from what we can see on the scan. Just a small concussion. You got really, really lucky," Callie told her, enlarging the scan on the screen. "The only thing I'm concerned about is this mass of scar tissue near your fusion incision site. I'd like to remove it before it causes you any problems. Just a minor surgery with a short recovery time…"

Callie continued to talk, but Arizona hadn't processed a word Callie was saying. She was too busy staring at her abnormal and unsettling body scan.

Arizona had seen thousands and thousands of scans since she had started her training to become a surgeon, and she had seen everything from volleyball sized tumors in the abdomens of toddlers to traumatic limb amputations, but she had seen nothing like this. Or maybe she had, it just made her uncomfortable knowing that this was her own body.

Staring back at her was the scan of a person whose spine had been fused back together with Harrington rods. A person whose strong muscles were easily visible from the chest up, but virtually non existent from the waist down. A person whose life had been turned upside down because someone had too much to drink one night and got behind the wheel.

Prior to this moment, Arizona had never seen a scan of her post-MVC body. She had never been interested in her own scans, so she had never been curious enough to go searching through her own patient file. But now that she'd seen it, her perspective was different.

This is her. Arizona 2.0. Broken and screwed back together with plates and rods and screws and more and more metal. Arizona 2.0 is someone who defies odds and stereotypes. She is someone who stands at a surgical table everyday, with help, because previously unforeseen circumstances left her with the inability to stand.

Mark rubbed Arizona's back as she took it all in. He teared up himself looking at the scans, so he knew that she must feel like she was just hit with a ton of bricks. Callie put her arm around Arizona and Arizona leaned on her shoulder. She wasn't crying, but she did feel emotionally exhausted.

Four years and one day ago, she ran up flights of stairs two at a time so that she could be the first at a patient's bedside. Four years and one day ago, she went on a run. She was on top of the world! She didn't know then that her train to success was about to derail and come crashing and burning off the tracks. Some days, Arizona just felt like a shell of the girl she was as an able-bodied surgical resident.

While she longed for the ability to stand for marathon surgeries without needing a break and to be able to feel the wind on her face as her feet carried her around the city, she had accepted that wheelchairs and sympathetic stares from strangers and weekly physical therapy appointments were a part of her routine now.

Callie kissed Arizona's forehead as Arizona looked up into her eyes with a small grateful smile. Arizona could see tears in Callie's eyes as she smiled back. She turned to Mark just in time to see him wiping a stray tear away with the back of his hand. Though Mark had seen countless of Arizona's scans before, he still got emotional looking at all of them. The accident was nearly as traumatic for him as it was for Arizona. Sure, he hadn't suffered any physical damage or pain, but his emotional damage is extensive. He is haunted by memories from that night that Arizona couldn't possibly remember- some she doesn't even know about. He really could have lost her that night.

Arizona took Mark's hand in hers and squeezed three times, their little unspoken signal to each other to let the other know that they're always there.

Mark kneeled down next to Arizona's chair and hugged her. Callie joined in on the embrace, and the three of them clung to each other, grateful for life, in the LODOX viewing room.

…

A day spent resting was good for Arizona's body after the fall, and her headache had disappeared in no time. Callie needed to stay late for a surgery, so Arizona took a ride home from Mark.

When they got home, Arizona invited Mark in. She realized that she had missed their one-on-one time lately, as well as the fact that she didn't want to be all alone tonight waiting for Callie to come home. They ordered a Hawaiian pizza just like old times and watched a movie under their favorite cozy blanket. Arizona resumed her usual position of lying down on Mark's lap as Mark stroked her hair and rubbed her back. This was her safe place.

About halfway through the movie, Arizona paused the television and rolled over so that she could look up at Mark.

"What was it like that night? Getting that call?"

The accident had been lingering on her mind all day, not only because it was the anniversary, but also because of the CT scan. She still couldn't fathom how her body could look so normal on the outside, but _so broken_ on the inside. It wasn't really until today that she realized that she barely knew anything about the accident at all.

Mark shakily sighed. He had hoped that Arizona would never ask him this because she wasn't aware of how brutal and traumatic the situation actually was.

"I had woken up in the middle of the night. Something felt… off, but I didn't know what. Now looking back on it, it was intuition, I guess. I got up to get a glass of water, and the next thing I knew, my phone was ringing."

He paused to collect his thoughts, and Arizona squeezed his hand to let him know that it was okay for him to keep going.

"It was Hunt on the other end of the phone. He was clearly distraught, and when… when he told me it was you- that you were the one that had been injured- I ran out of the apartment and all the way to the hospital. I didn't stop until I got there."

"They took you to Trauma 1. I remember running through the doors and there were just… so many doctors there. Everyone doing everything they could. Hunt, Webber, Bailey, Shepherd, Altman, a bunch of residents… They had me stand against the wall. I couldn't…" Mark's voice trailed off and a sob escaped from his mouth.

"I couldn't even recognize you! And I couldn't do anything to help! I watched you die, Arizona! Your heart stopped right in front of me! And I couldn't… I couldn't help. I was useless and you were dying."

Arizona's eyes welled up with tears. She hadn't realized how hard the accident must have been for those around her. She had always assumed that since it wasn't them that had been paralyzed, they were fine. Unaffected, even. It was now clear to her that that was not the case. Mark was just as messed up by this as she was. Arizona placed her hand on Mark's chest over his heart. He held it there, and Arizona could feel it beating.

Mark pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and scrolled through his photos. When he found the one he was looking for, he clicked on it and handed it to Arizona. Arizona stared at the photo for a minute before realizing what she was looking at. That jumbled heap of metal in the street was what remained of her car. Her breath hitched as she scrolled through the photos, each more emotionally jarring than the last.

 _I was in there_ , Arizona repeatedly thought to herself. _My car crashed and I was in it. I was trapped in that pile of scrap metal and I cheated death._

The next photo she swiped to was one of her in the ICU. Nearly her entire body was bloody and bruised. She was breathing through a ventilator and there were tubes and wires coming out of her body at every angle. Arizona had never seen a photo of her from her coma and now that she had, it was permanently etched in her memory.

She continued swiping through photos until she reached ones that she had seen before. One of her and Mark giving the camera "thumbs up" from her bed, one of Mark spoon feeding her lime Jell-O, one of her sticking her tongue out at Mark's camera her first time outside since the accident…

Some photos made her cry, some made her smile, and some made her laugh. And, boy, was her laughter music to Mark's ears. There were days where he thought he would never hear that sound again.

Handing Mark back his phone, Arizona looked into his eyes. Both doctors were crying as she whispered through her tears "I love you". They say that friends are the siblings you choose, and Mark really was a brother to her.

After a couple of moments in silence, Mark spoke up. There was a question that has been lingering on his mind since Callie had come to Seattle, and now felt like the right time to shoot and ask.

"Hypothetically, if Callie could operate on you and make you walk again, would you let her?"

"Hypothetically?"

"Mmm."

Arizona stopped and thought for a minute. While she was pretty content with her life how it is now, she would be lying if she said she didn't have dreams of walking again.

"I've already seen so many specialists- both neuro and ortho- that have told me that I won't be able to, Mark."

"But none of those doctors were Callie," Mark interjected. "None of them were even half as talented as Callie. You know that."

 _None of them were even half as talented as Callie._

This was true. Callie is exceptional at what she does. If there were anyone that could jumpstart her spinal column, it would be Callie and Derek.

After thinking, Arizona shook her head.

"My leg muscles haven't been used in that way in years, Mark. Even if my brain became able to tell my legs what to do, my legs couldn't bear my weight."

"I'm just saying, you plus Callie is just the perfect storm combination. Your charm mixed with Callie's talent? Please, nothing could stand a chance against that," Mark shrugged.

"Charm? What part about not being able to move or feel anything below your belly button sounds pleasant or lucky to you?! Newsflash: There's nothing charmed about my situation," Arizona retaliated, not in anger, but in exasperation.

"But isn't there?" Mark cocked his head to the side like a confused puppy. "You'd rather be dead?"

"No, but-"

"You have a life you could have lost, and that's awesome in itself. And now you have two world class surgeons who just might be able to miraculously reverse paralysis, and you're turning the idea down?"

Mark was right. So many disabled people all over the world would sell everything for this chance. This wildcard chance that, just maybe, she could regain the ability to stand and walk and run. The ability to stroll down a cobblestone street without face planting or use a non-accessible bathroom stall.

"The Chief wouldn't allow it. Callie and I are in a relationship. Hell, we sleep in the same bed! There's no way he would give in and let her operate on me," Arizona pointed out.

"It's worth asking about," Mark shrugged.

Slowly, Arizona nodded. Mark was right, yet again. This was a chance that could change her life forever, for the better. The very least she could do is ask.

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please, please, please leave reviews, thoughts, ideas and suggestions for me! I really do look forward to reading your reviews- they make my day and inspire me to keep writing! Thanks for taking the time to read my lil' story! I do hope you're enjoying it!**

 **XOXO, Arizona Robbins MD**


	12. Chapter 12

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi everyone! Sorry to leave you hanging on that little cliffhanger for so long! Though I have been so busy lately, I found time to finish this chapter tonight and upload it for you all! Please let me know what you think!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

There was a knock at Arizona's office door as she closed her laptop.

"Come in!"  
Callie poked her head through the doorway, excited to see her girlfriend after they missed the chance to have lunch together due to conflicting schedules.

"Hey, babe! You got here fast!" Arizona remarked as she unlocked the brakes on her chair and wheeled over to meet Callie halfway between the door and her desk to kiss her hello.

"Well, when I got your page, I didn't want to wait to come and see you," Callie said, taking a seat on Arizona's couch and putting her feet up on the coffee table. "So, what's up? Need a consult?"

Arizona turned so that her chair was facing Callie. She locked her brakes and quickly thought about how she would approach this conversation. Suddenly she wished she had practiced this in her head before paging Callie down.

In the past twelve hours since her and Mark's talk last night, Arizona had been thinking about the possibility of walking again non-stop. She had tried her best not to get her hopes up- she really had- but just thinking about the idea gave her butterflies.

"Um… sort of. Remember when you and Derek did that project on paralyzed mice?"

"Yes…"

"So, I was thinking, what if you used that same technology and approach, but instead of a mouse… it was a human? It was me. I'm the human. Haha," Arizona nervously laughed at the end of the sentence and held her breath waiting for Callie's reply.

"What?"

"I, like the mice, am paralyzed from the waist down," Arizona stated the obvious.

"I'm aware."

"So… what if you used the same approach that worked on them, on me?"

Callie shook her head.

"Arizona, those are mice. You're a human!"

"So?"

"So? You have a completely different anatomy than a mouse does, you know that. What works on them is not confirmed to work on you as well. It's all different. Shep and I couldn't guarantee it would be successful. I wouldn't want to put you through that- I _won't_ put you through that. My girlfriend will not be my guinea pig," Callie explained. Surely Arizona had lost her mind.

"What, it's just some electrical stimulation, right? I can handle that," Arizona played tough and brushed the procedure off as if it were nothing as she picked up her Chinese food takeout off of her desk and took a bite of her lo mein.

Callie hesitated before shaking her head again.

"We wouldn't even know what strength volts to use. It would take months to work out the kinks before I would be willing to even attempt it on a human- on you," Callie explained.

"I can wait," Arizona said, leaning back in her chair. "After all, it doesn't look like I'm going anywhere any time soon." Arizona's laugh filled the small room.

Callie rubbed her temples.

"We would need approval from the Chief, grant money, work space… Thinking realistically, it could be a year or two before this really got off the ground. I like the idea, but it would be an insane amount of extra stress and worry on top of our caseloads already."

"In the end, I'll be standing," Arizona said softly.

"Hmm?"

"That's what I always tell nervous parents before I take their kid in for surgery- in the end, they'll be healthy. And all of the blood and sweat and tears-"

"And money," Callie interjected.

"And money, invested in this project will all be worth it in the end," Arizona finished.

Arizona watched as Callie sat in silence. She cocked her head as her blue eyes widened to study Callie's serious face. Arizona always thought Callie looked so sexy when she's thinking so deeply about something.

A few minutes later, Callie spoke up.

"I'll tell you what. I'll page Shepherd and see what he thinks. And if he's on board, you have to go to Owen and ask for permission- permission not only to kickstart the research, but permission to test on you as well. He needs to be in the know about what we plan on doing, and I think we would have better luck getting the answer we want if you asked," Callie suggested.

Arizona nodded.

"Done."

"Okay. I'm gonna go track Shepherd down now. I'll text you what he says," Callie took a deep breath before standing up and kissing Arizona before heading for the office door.

Before shutting the door behind her, Callie glanced back, and held up her crossed fingers and gave Arizona a nervous smile. In return, Arizona crossed her fingers as well.

It was then that Arizona's palms began to sweat and her heart began to race. With the possibility of this research project, Arizona could be up and moving on her own, just over four years after she had _thought_ she lost that part of herself. Arizona bit her lip with anticipation, then left to go meet Karev in pre-op with the biggest super magic smile on her face.

…

"Okay, suction," Arizona directed Alex so that she had more visibility in the surgical field.

Arizona's afternoon was booked up by this nine hour long Neuroblastoma removal surgery that Alex and Bailey were assisting on. The patient, a seven year old girl, had been treated twice previously for this fast growing cancer, but it kept returning. Over the years, Arizona had grown close with her patient and her family, so she always made sure to be extra attentive and careful with her work.

But today, she must admit that she was a bit distracted.

While she was arms-deep in the thoracic and abdominal cavity of a young girl, she was finding herself daydreaming about running into Callie's arms- or, really, just running in general.

Though it didn't hinder her actual surgical capabilities, Arizona was frustrated with herself for not giving her patient a hundred percent on her undivided attention.

"Bovie," Arizona held out her hand as Bailey handed her the cautery equipment. Arizona touched the tool's tip to the bleeder as she heard her phone buzz on the surgical tray off to the side.

"Read that to me, please," Arizona requested, as one of the scrub nurses picked up the iPhone in the white case with a rainbow flower on it.

"It's a text message from Dr. Torres," the nurse informed her.

Arizona's heart skipped a beat and she held her breath. This would be the make or break moment. The moment when she would find out if Derek would be willing to work with Callie on this life changing project.

"She says, 'Shepherd's on board. It's a go,'" the nurse read.

Arizona let out a huge sigh or relief and a smile appeared under her mask. Only three more hours and two more tumors to resect until Arizona could scrub out and head up to the Chief's office to officially ask for the permission to go ahead with the experiment.

Just three more hours.

…

Arizona hesitated before knocking on the door to the Chief's office.

"Come in!" came Hunt's response from inside his cozy space, which overlooks the hospital's lobby and catwalks.

Arizona turned the handle and pushed the door open wide enough for her to roll into the office.

"Dr. Robbins! Hello!" Owen exclaimed, somewhat surprised to see her there. "How's your head? Any headaches? Dizziness?"

"It's fine," Arizona assured him. "I actually came in here to propose an idea that Mark brought up to me. Then I told Callie, and Callie told Derek, and now I'm telling you!" Arizona stopped herself and closed her eyes, shaking her head slightly. She could feel herself beginning to ramble, a bad habit she always does when she gets nervous talking to figures of authority.

"I have a proposal to make if you'll let me."

"Shoot," Owen replied, nodding.

"Callie and Derek are ready to begin phase two of their electric spinal column stimulation project. They're ready to move on to human test subjects… and I am volunteering myself for their research," Arizona stated.

"They're jumping so quickly from mice to humans? That doesn't seem safe. Are they aware of the risks?" Owen asked, sitting on the edge of his desk.

Arizona's nervousness slipped away as she realized that it seemed like Owen was considering their plan.

"They're fully aware. Derek believes that he just needs a few practice rounds in a lab before bringing it straight to the OR," Arizona told him. "And Callie and Derek are willing to donate the surgical time and some funds to run the equipment in their lab."

Owen nodded.

"What would the procedure be?"

"It would be considered a major surgery. Ideally, the incision would only have to begin where sensation ends, so the size of the incision depends on the level of SCI. Electrodes would be implanted directly on top of the severed part of the spinal cord, below the lesion."

Arizona could see Owen turning the idea over and over in his mind. He began to nod slowly. So far, so good.

"The electrical signals would be designed to adjust to leg movement and pharmaceuticals would be injected into the spinal cord for chemical stimulation as well. Doctors Torres and Shepherd have tried this on twenty seven paraplegic and quadriplegic mice over the last two years, and they have succeeded each time. I have no doubt in my mind that they would be able to succeed with humans as well," Arizona finished.

"It is a brilliant plan," Owen concluded. Arizona smiled. "But you wouldn't be able to be a test subject."

Arizona's heart fell to her toes. Just what she was afraid of.

"Owen-!"

"Robbins. You are my Chief of Pediatric surgery. You are in a romantic relationship with my most talented ortho surgeon- the one running this program!- and are very close friends with the neurosurgeon on the project as well. You could not possibly think that I, or the Board, would approve of you volunteering as tribute to go under the knife of their experimental procedure! I'm sorry, Dr. Robbins, but there is just no way it could be approved, given the circumstances," Owen informed her.

Arizona wasn't about to give up her fight just yet.

"No! It is not Dr. Robbins. Not right now. Right now I am Arizona. Your friend. Someone you've known since before I graduated from medical school. I am not your employee right now, Owen," Arizona protested before taking a deep breath to regain her thoughts. Tears began to unwillingly brim in her eyes.

"I am the previously-carefree girl that was hit by a drunk driver after you paged her whose ambulance rig you met in the bay. I am the girl you resuscitated twice on the table as her spine was being wired and screwed back together."

Owen crossed his arms and looked away. This conversation was bringing up many painful memories that Owen had locked away for all these years.

Arizona continued.

"Stop thinking of me as your top surgeon on staff. Stop thinking of my relationship with Calliope Torres. Stop thinking of me in any way except for as your friend. Your friend who has a potential to undergo a life-altering surgery that you are ready to deny her. This could be my only chance, Owen. Don't you want this for me?"

The silence in the room was deafening as Owen processed Arizona's words and met her gaze once again.

Arizona stared into his eyes until he his answer finally came:

"You have my approval."

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed this short (but eventful!) chapter! I hope to make the coming chapters a bit longer, don't worry! Please leave reviews, comments and suggestions for me to read! They help me immensely while writing the next chapters! I hope you are enjoying this story! :)**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	13. Chapter 13

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hey everyone! I'm back with another update! I hope you love it! Don't forget to leave reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

A couple weeks later, Callie and Derek were ready to officially begin the second phase of their spinal cord stimulation project.

Since they had gotten the go ahead from the Chief just about a month ago, the doctors had collected grant money and donations to go towards their research from benefactors and foundations, as well as developed a list of candidates.

Today was the day they were finally ready to begin consults with their potential candidates to assess their level of injury, their bone density, and muscle mass. All of these categories will be very important when it comes down to the operating phase of the project.

At the top of Derek and Callie's list of applicants was Arizona, and she was their first assessment consult for the day. The three doctors had agreed to meet in Ortho Exam Room 1202 at about 2:20 pm. It was the only downtime that coincided among all three surgeons. Mark had wanted to be present for the meeting, but he had a surgery that started at 2, so he was unable to make it.

To help with their research charting and note taking, Derek and Callie had decided to bring Dr. Lexie Grey on to their project as well. Lexie was more than happy to assist her attendings, and was very excited about the possibilities that this research could bring for other people living with spinal cord injuries.

"Hey! How has your day been so far?" Callie asked when she entered the consult room to find Arizona sitting beside the exam table.

"Great! Slow at first, you know, rounds and charting. But I've been looking forward to this all day because I get to see you!" Arizona said, smiling when Callie bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"Well hello, Lovebirds!" Derek laughed as he entered the room with Lexie trailing closely behind. "Is now a good time for an assessment, or should I come back?"

"Haha, very funny," Arizona commented as she locked the brakes on her chair.

Together, Callie and Derek lifted Arizona on to the exam table and made sure she was comfortable. In order to make the assessment easier, Arizona removed her scrub pants, sneakers, ankle braces and socks so that she was only in spandex shorts. Callie, who would perform the orthopedic examination first, scooted a rolling stool over towards the table and took a seat.

Little Grey sat at the countertop, ready to record notes for the doctors, and Derek stood at Arizona's side, one hand resting protectively on her back for support.

"Okay, you ready?" Callie asked Arizona with a smile.

Arizona nodded eagerly as Callie began to evaluate her body.

She checked Arizona's range of motion in her feet and legs, as well as her muscle tone.

"Range of motion is standard, if not excelled. Definitely a large amount of muscle atrophy and loss in the lower extremities. I am also noticing some significant signs of foot drop, which is normal considering how much time has passed since the injury occurred," Callie observed out loud, Lexie typing every word Callie says.

"Do you wear leg braces frequently?" Callie asked.

Callie knew that for this project to work- and if she was going to be using Arizona as a test subject- she would need to be able to treat her like any other patient. That included asking her some basic questions that she already knew the answers to.

Arizona nodded.

"I wear AFOs daily, as well as KAFOs during intense physical therapy," Arizona replied, mentioning the ankle-foot orthotics and knee-ankle-foot orthotics braces she wears to prolong the strength of her leg muscles, as well as aid with stability.

"How often do you do physical therapy, and how rigorous is it would you say?"

"During the first year and a half after I was injured, I did PT four times a week, but as my schedule has gotten busier, I now only do it twice a week," Arizona stated. "Normally, Tuesdays are the more difficult days- strength and walking with my therapist, braces and walker- and Thursdays are mostly deep stretching and flexibility."

Callie nodded as she made a mental note to drop by Arizona's PT in the near future to observe one of her sessions.

"Great. Okay, that's all I need to see for the ortho end of the consult. Derek?" Callie turned to Derek, indicating that it was time for him to begin his area of assessment.

"Alright. Arizona, I'm going to begin testing your nerves and sensation below your injury point," Derek informed Arizona, as Arizona raised her eyebrows in response.

"Okay, if you insist, but I'm just letting you know that there's not much to test!" Arizona laughed as Callie and Derek helped her lay down on the exam table. Callie swung Arizona's legs up on to the table as well so that Derek could easily examine her legs and feet.

"I'm going to roll your shirt up a little bit for better visualization, alright?" Derek checked with Arizona, who nodded, before pulling up her scrub top above her belly button.

"Great. I'm gonna run my fingers along the side of your torso and you tell me when you don't feel them anymore, okay?"

Arizona nodded again, staring straight up at the ceiling. Callie took Arizona's hand in hers.

Using his index and middle fingers, Derek started at her fourth rib and trailed his hands down her sides.

"Nope," Arizona said just before Derek's fingers passed her belly button.

Derek turned to Lexie.

"Feeling stops at T-11."

Lexie nodded as she typed away on her laptop. The clicking sound of the keys was the only sound in the room.

"Robbins, I'm gonna use this needle and this Q-Tip to test Spinothalamics. Close your eyes, and if you feel one or the other, let me know, and try to determine if it is the sharp or soft object," Derek directed.

Arizona closed her eyes and squeezed Callie's hand. Callie squeezed back. In this moment, Callie wasn't her doctor. She was her girlfriend.

Derek began poking Arizona with the different objects, starting at the top of her stomach.

"Sharp," Arizona winced as Derek used the needle.

"Good," Derek praised her.

"Soft."

"Sharp."

He moved his way down toward her pelvis and legs. He used the needle just above her belly button. Arizona hesitated before giving him her answer.

"I… I'm not sure. I just feel pressure," Arizona said.

"Incomplete feeling at T-10," Derek told Lexie.

The moment he got below the point of her belly button, she stopped answering. Nevertheless, he continued with the exam, going as far down to the tips of her toes. Nothing.

"Nothing from T-12 down, Dr. Grey," Derek reported.

Callie helped Arizona sit up and handed her her scrub pants for her to put back on.

"Okay, Robbins, good. That'll be all. We'll follow up with our coming steps within the next week," Derek told her, and he and Lexie left, leaving just Arizona and Callie in the exam room.

They sat in silence for a minute as Arizona put her pants back on before Callie spoke up.

"That went well, don't you think?"

Arizona shrugged as she pulled her leg up and slipped each sock on.

"I don't know. I wish I could feel more, that's all."

"Hey. No. Don't be hard on yourself. This is exactly what we were expecting. It'll all be okay," Callie said as she handed Arizona one of her AFOs.

Arizona strapped her braces on then put on her sneakers as she thought about Callie's words.

She tucked her long blonde hair behind her ear and made eye contact with Callie as she gave her a small smile.

"I know."

Callie helped Arizona down to her chair as she slightly changed the subject of conversation.

"Hey, can I swing by your PT appointment tomorrow? Just to watch and keep you company. It's been a while since I came to one," Callie asked.

Arizona nodded as a genuine smile appeared on her face.

"I'd like that," she said as Callie smiled back.

They shared a kiss before leaving the consult room and heading their separate ways in the hospital.

…

"Hey, Arizona! And hey to you too, Dr. Torres!" Dean, Arizona's physical therapist greeted them as the well-known doctors entered Seattle Grace Mercy West's rehab room on the fifth floor.

"Dean, it's Callie. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Callie reminded him with a smile.

"Right. Callie," Dean corrected himself. He then switched his attention to Arizona. "You ready for some hard work tonight?! It's leg day!"

Arizona nodded eagerly as she and Callie followed Dean to their little corner of the room.

After work, Arizona had changed into a t-shirt and a pair of leggings ("Leggings are the easiest to wear with the braces because they don't bunch or create pressure sores," Arizona had pointed out earlier) and had pulled her hair up in a messy bun with a headband so she was ready for her nightly physical therapy session.

Arizona locked the brakes to her chair as she filled Dean in on her busy schedule. When she is excited about things, Arizona talks a mile a minute.

Arizona slowly lowered herself down from her chair and onto the yoga mat that Dean had laid out. Arizona updated him on what is going on with Derek and Callie's SCI project as he stretched her leg muscles to get them warmed up before they began the hard work that Dean had planned out for tonight.

Once she was stretched, Arizona climbed back up into her chair from the ground as Callie, who had been holding Arizona's KAFOs, sat down on a rolling stool and handed her each brace one by one. Arizona tightly fastened them on her legs, all the while still maintaining her fast paced conversation with Dean.

When Arizona had donned her leg braces and secured the knee hinges in place, Dean brought over a silver walker and set it in front of her chair. Callie watched as Arizona placed both hands on the handles and took a deep breath, a stern look of concentration plastered on her face. Dean positioned himself behind Arizona with his hands on her hips.

"When you're ready," he told her.

Arizona used her arms to push herself up into a standing position, Dean helping her along the way.

"Phew," Arizona huffed as she steadied herself, flashing a bright smile in Callie's direction. "Now you see why Mark and I go lifting at the gym!"

Both ladies giggled at Arizona's lighthearted joke, and Callie could see the determination and pride in Arizona's piercing blue eyes.

Slowly but surely, Arizona began to swing one leg in front of the other. She shifted her walker with each stride and Dean followed behind her with a steady hand on her back in case she lost her balance or got stuck. Every now and then, Arizona would glance up to check and see if Callie was still watching (which, of course, she was), and got butterflies every time she saw Callie's soft, reassuring smile.

"Woah," Arizona said, as she underestimated the amount of swing she would need to get her leg forward, causing the toe of her sneaker to get stuck on the rubber flooring.

"That's what I'm here for," Dean reminded her as he bent down and freed her shoe.

"Thank you, sir!" Arizona said as she continued on her walk around the nearly empty therapy room.

She didn't slow down one bit until she was across the room from where Callie was seated. Callie could see her breathing getting heavier and that each step she was taking was more difficult than the last. Callie's heart ached watching Arizona struggle so much with something that an able-bodied person would easily take for granted.

Despite her visible struggle, Arizona persevered. In the back of her mind, Arizona reminded herself of a quote she had heard right when she started therapy: _It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop._ With that thought on her mind, she continued around the room.

Since she was focusing so much on watching Arizona, Callie didn't even notice that Mark had entered the room until he sat down next to her.

"Hey, Torres."

"Hey."

The two of them, Arizona's biggest cheerleaders, watched together as Arizona pushed herself to new limits to make her way over to them.

"She's lookin' great, huh?" Mark remarked as he remembered all of the times he had witnessed Arizona's PT sessions, and seen how far she had come over the years. A couple of years ago, she could barely reach the end of the parallel bars, and here she was about to complete a lap around the room!

"Yeah. She's amazing," Callie said as Arizona came closer.

Mark and Callie cheered loudly as Arizona reached her wheelchair. Dean aided her from a standing position until she was sitting.

"That was my cardio for the week!" a beaming Arizona told them, understandably out of breath, but proud of herself at the same time. She unstrapped her braces before handing them back to Callie.

"I haven't been to PT in a while 'Zo. You freakin' blew me away!" Mark told her as Arizona unlocked her brakes.

"Thanks," she replied, before asking: "Hey, you coming home with us tonight?"

Mark shook his head.

"I'm on night shift tonight. Which reminds me, I should probably be getting back to the burn unit before Avery screws something up," Mark said, checking his watch.

"Duty calls," Arizona responded as she took a sip of her water bottle and wiped the beads of sweat off of her forehead with a towel.

With that, Mark turned and headed for the door, but he didn't leave before turning back to shout: "God is good, Arizona Robbins!"

"All of the time!" Arizona yelled back.

When they realized that the three of them were the only people left in the place, Callie and Arizona began to grab their things as Dean praised Arizona for all of her hard work tonight.

"Good job tonight, Arizona. You should be very proud of yourself. See you Thursday?"

"Yep!" Arizona said as she pushed open the gym door. "See you Thursday!"

"Bye, Dean," Callie waved as she followed in Arizona's path.

"Bye, Dr. Tor-" Dean started, causing Callie to turn around and raise an eyebrow. "Bye, Callie," Dean corrected himself.

Once they reached Callie's car in the parking lot, the day was finally starting to catch up with them.

"Whew. I'm beat," Arizona sighed as she transferred from her chair into the passenger seat. She disassembled her wheelchair and stuck it in the back as Callie sat down on the driver's side.

"I'll bet. You worked your ass off today. As the phases of the project progress, I'd love to get you in PT a third day a week if we're able to. I think it would help your progress tremendously."

Arizona nodded.

"Sure, as long as you get Hunt on board with letting me out a little earlier another day of the week," Arizona yawned and closed her eyes.

Callie drove for a minute before saying:

"I was extremely impressed by your accomplishments today. Your hip flexor control is outstanding. I think if we got you in the gym another day, you-"

Callie briefly glanced beside her to see that her girlfriend had already fallen asleep on the short ride home.

Callie smiled and slipped her hand in Arizona's as she turned her attention back to the Seattle streets, making sure they both got home safely.

* * *

 **I hope you liked this update! I hope it won't be too long before I can update again. Let me know what you think of this story and where it is going by reviewing it and/or private messaging me! Feel free to leave any suggestions you may have as well! Thank you for taking the time to read and get invested in my story! It means a lot to me! :)**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	14. Chapter 14

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi! Sorry for making y'all wait so long for another chapter! I'll try to update more frequently (I try to update at least once a week)! This chapter is mostly fluffy Calzona with a little bit of serious conversations as well! Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave reviews!**

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

Callie and Derek had blown through the consulting and assessment phase of their project, and after about another month, they were ready to begin operating. Their first human spinal shock implantation surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. And their first patient is Arizona.

While Derek was back in the lab, perfecting every small detail of tomorrow's big surgery, Callie had the chance to take Arizona out to dinner for her final meal before surgery.

When originally asked where she wanted to go, Arizona replied with her go-to spot… Chick-fil-A.

Callie told her that it was her treat, and there was no way in helllllll she was going to be taking Arizona to get fast food on this special occasion. Arizona gave in, and her and Callie chose a seafood shack with a view of the Space Needle and the Seattle Great Wheel. They had heard great recommendations from friends and coworkers about this spot, so both women were very excited to try it out.

However, the excitement turned into annoyance when they pulled up to the restaurant, only to discover that there were no handicap accessible parking spots left in the parking lot.

"Busy night," Arizona sighed. "I suppose you can just park in the space right there." Arizona pointed to an empty space on the other side of the parking lot.

Callie looked at her like she had four heads.

"Are you being serious?! There is no way you would be able to get in and out of the car- there's no room!"

Callie continued driving around the lot until she came to a space at the end of the lot where there was a tiny bit more space.

"Do you think this could work?" Callie asked, hoping for the best.

Arizona nodded.

"It'll be fine. I'll make it work!" Arizona smiled.

Callie smiled back. Arizona can make light out of any situation, and that is just one of the infinite number of reasons why Callie fell in love with her.

"Here, I'll set up your chair so that all you have to do is transfer," Callie offered, opening the door to the back seat so that she could attach the wheels on Arizona's wheelchair.

Arizona couldn't believe she had gotten this lucky as to have Calliope Torres as her girlfriend. She is patient, compassionate, brilliant… Arizona could go on and on about her. Arizona firmly believed that she has won the girlfriend jackpot.

Once her chair was set up, Arizona shifted into it from where she was seated in the car. She closed the door and slowly rolled herself backwards until she was in the open parking lot. Definitely not an ideal situation, but it was somewhat manageable.

"Ta-da!" Arizona said, holding up jazz hands to Callie.

Callie laughed and stuck out her hand for Arizona to hold. Arizona took the outstretched hand in her own, and together they made their way across the parking lot.

Just as Callie was about to open the door, three college-aged boys came running out with take out bags in their hands, yelling and laughing at one another.

"Woah," Callie said under her breath as the boys nearly knocked her over.

Callie and Arizona watched the first two boys pile into the pick up truck parked quite inconveniently in the handicap accessible spot.

Callie and Arizona exchanged a look, before Callie walked over towards them.

"Calliope, don't make a scene," Arizona begged as Callie approached the group.

"Excuse me," Callie stopped the boy who was about to get in the driver's seat.

The boy turned around with an irritated look on his face, as if he couldn't be bothered to make small talk as his buddies waited in the truck.

"Do you have a handicap placard?" Callie asked him, folding her arms.

"A what?"

"A placard. Or papers? Anything that proves you have the right to park in this spot reserved for people with disabilities?"

"Uhhh…" the boy looked at his friends for answers, but both of the other boys glanced away. "No," he gulped.

"Hm. Well, because of your _irrational need_ to park here, I had to park all the way at the end of the lot. The space we are in is so tight that my girlfriend could barely get her wheelchair out of the car," Callie explained, with a no-nonsense tone to her voice.

"Dude. Sorry. We were just picking up our take out," the boy replied, running his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. He briefly glanced in Arizona's direction. Arizona could feel his eyes on her legs (Arizona _hated_ that- whenever people are unable to focus on her face, they just stare at her legs… as if they'll just move on their own or something). The boy couldn't meet Arizona's eyes, but if he had, he would have seen a mirror image of the exasperated look that was currently on Callie's face as well.

"No excuses; it's illegal. Next time, don't park in this spot, regardless if it's convenient for you. Not only could you face a hefty parking ticket, but you are preventing people who actually need to use this spot from doing so."

Callie couldn't distinguish whether the boys were really sorry or not, but she figured that she had gotten her point across. She turned away and held the door to the restaurant open for Arizona, who rolled by as the boys in the truck watched from afar.

…

Once they were seated at their table and had ordered their meals, Arizona couldn't help but comment on Callie's disability advocating skills she had presented in the parking lot. While kind of embarrassing, it was one of the most touching things anyone had done for Arizona. Callie was fearless when standing up for the rights of accessibility for disabled people, and for that Arizona was eternally grateful.

"That was a pretty big spectacle outside, huh?" Arizona asked as she mindlessly chewed on the plastic straw of her mojito.

"The kid deserved it. Can you imagine how much simpler our night could have been? Ugh," Callie growled, taking a swig of her beer.

"It wasn't too bad. We managed," Arizona shrugged.

A moment of silence passed while Callie determined how to word her response.

"It… It just never ends, does it?" Callie asked with a sigh.

Arizona tried to conjure a smile before shaking her head.

"Not really. If it isn't accessibility, it's ableism. And if it's neither of those it's the stares. They never go away."

Callie reached across the table and held Arizona's hand in her own.

"I mean, you get used to it all, don't get me wrong, but I'll forever miss just being able to hop in the car and go somewhere without having everything meticulously planned ahead of time, or being in public inconspicuously."

Arizona's eyes drifted down to the table, reminiscing on her past before the accident and what her life could- _should_ \- have been like now.

Her recollection only lasted a moment before Arizona remembered that tomorrow that could all change. Her life could be _normal_ again. Well, as normal as it can be for a woman in her early thirties learning to walk independently again.

Lifting her head so that sparkling blue eyes met soulful brown, Arizona squeezed Callie's hand.

"I love you," Arizona whispered as her eyes watered involuntarily.

"I love you too," Callie assured her as the waitress approached their table.

The waitress handed each woman her food and asked if there was anything they needed before moving on to tend to her next table.

"This looks delicious!" Arizona remarked, folding her napkin on her lap before picking up her utensils.

"Mmm…" Callie mumbled, having already started devouring her shrimp scampi.

The quietness at the table was comfortable, as they enjoyed their dinner. Arizona was sure to enjoy it as much as she could, knowing she would be hungry tomorrow before her surgery.

The tranquility of their dinner was somewhat interrupted when Callie glanced over to the table next to theirs to see the eyes of five teenage girls fixed on them as they ate. The girls couldn't be older than sixteen and they were gaping at the couple like there was no tomorrow.

Callie began to immediately squirm in her seat, uneasy by the idea of being watched as she ate. She glanced over again a couple seconds later, to see that the girls' eyes hadn't moved, but this time, she realized that their gazes were fixed on Arizona's wheelchair and not her. One girl covered her mouth before leaning towards another, whispering something in her ear.

"Just ignore them, Calliope," Arizona said casually as she ate another bite of her dinner.

Callie, stunned by the fact that Arizona knew she was bothered by the girls' rude behavior without even glancing at them, struggled to form a sentence.

"You…? You knew?" Callie stuttered.

Arizona laughed as she noticed the astonished look on Callie's face.

"Yes, it's almost like a sixth sense once you're in a chair- knowing when someone is staring," Arizona told her, taking another bite.

"It doesn't bother you?"

"Eh. Not really. It used to. A lot. Over the years, I've just become accustomed to it. I realize that it isn't every day that people see a smokin' hot blonde who happens to be in a wheelchair…" Arizona said with a smirk.

Callie's beer nearly squirted out of her nose as she laughed. Simply put, that was not the response she was expecting, and was pleasantly surprised when Arizona's amazing sense of humor shined through.

"In all seriousness though- they're in, like, what? High school? Aren't they too old to be staring like that?! Don't they have any moral compass?" Callie asked as she wiped her mouth with her napkin.

"You'd be surprised," Arizona replied with a glance in the girls' direction. When they saw Arizona raise an eyebrow, they all quickly darted their eyes in another direction, embarrassed to have been caught in the act. Satisfied with herself, Arizona turned back to Callie.

"The thing that really altered the way that I saw myself in other people's eyes was something that Mark said to me a couple of months after the accident. It was shortly after I started at the hospital again. People I had worked with every day for years were treating me like I was fragile and… different. It took a toll on me, and he could tell that I really wasn't myself, and that I felt ashamed for being in my situation."

Callie nodded, hanging onto every word of Arizona's memory. Arizona continued.

"He told me that people are only staring at me because they feel bad for me and that it's human nature to be curious. I remember telling him how I was sick of people feeling bad for me all the time. Then he said, 'Stop it. Stop treating yourself life you're ruined because you're in a wheelchair. People only stare because they know how easily it could have been them. You shattered their 'it won't happen to me' illusion. And it blows their minds, and that's why they stare. But once they get it through their head that this is how it is now, they'll stop staring. Things will go back to normal.' And they did," Arizona nodded.

"It doesn't really bother me when people stare anymore. I know they're concerned or curious or both. But this is my life now, and I rock it, if I do say so myself!" Arizona giggled.

Callie returned the smile. A silent moment passed before Callie spoke up, raising her glass.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"Thank you? For what?"

"Thank you for really, really teaching me what life with a spinal cord injury is like. As an ortho doc, I know the anatomy of the injury, sure. But getting to experience it day in, and day out with you has been so incredibly eye opening. I feel like I now have a better understanding of what life is like for SCI patients, and I have you to thank for that. For making me a better doctor," Callie nodded.

Arizona smiled, and even in the darkly lit room, Callie could see her pale skin begin to blush.

"Cheers to that."

…

After they finished dinner and paid the bill, Callie suggested they go down to the pier before they headed home. Arizona happily obliged and hand in hand, they made their way towards the water.

A couple minutes into their stroll, however, things got a little… bumpy.

The pavement had turned into cobblestone, and Arizona had to take her hand back from Callie to attempt to stable herself as she rolled down the pathway.

"Woah!" Arizona yelped after rolling over a large divot in the street that almost sent her falling out of her chair.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Callie wondered out loud. "We've been together for almost a year now. You would think that I would have thought that this would be difficult." Callie internally scolded herself for causing her girlfriend so much additional trouble.

"Nope. I've… got it," Arizona said as she stuck out her tongue in concentration as she slowly, but surely, made her way down.

Once Arizona had her mind set on something, there was no changing it. Callie wasn't sure if it was due to her stubbornness or perseverance, but regardless, Arizona was determined to reach the edge of the pier.

"Did it!" Arizona proudly proclaimed, dimples popping out as she smiled.

"I'm proud of you!" Callie commended her, bending down to kiss her.

As they kissed, the water lapped against the boardwalk and the ferris wheel lit up the Seattle skyline behind them with neon colors. Arizona was sure that this was one of the best moments of her life.

* * *

 **I hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter will include Arizona's surgery! I hope you enjoy where this story is going! If there is anything you would like to see in the coming chapters, please feel free to leave it in a review or PM me! As always, please leave your thoughts on this chapter for me to read! They always inspire me to write another update! :)**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	15. Chapter 15

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **A new chapter is here! Surgery time! I wrote this entire chapter today, so let me know what you think! I really like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

"Hey, babe," Callie whispered as she kissed Arizona's forehead, waking her up from her deep slumber.

Arizona's blue eyes opened slowly, blinking a few times, before she registered what was going on.

"Hey," she murmured in response.

"I'm going to meet up with Shepherd before the surgery to talk it over and get ready for later. In case I don't see you until pre-op, I just wanted to tell you that I love you. So much. And to not be nervous or anything, because we've got this," Callie assured her, stroking her hair.

Arizona nodded and smiled.

"I can't believe today is the day."

"Today is the day."

The couple stayed that way- looking into each other's eyes, with Callie combing Arizona's tangled blonde hair with her fingers- for a couple minutes before Callie remembered why she had woken Arizona in the first place.

"So, I'm heading out now, but Mark's taking the day off and he said he'll be over in an hour or so. He'll drive you over, then you can get all checked in and stuff. You know the drill…" Callie's voice trailed off.

This was the woman she loved. A woman whose entire spinal column will be opened up to her on an operating room table in a mere six hours. She tried not be nervous herself, but how could she not be? She needed to take some of her own advice she had just given to Arizona. Callie's heart beat faster.

"I know the drill," Arizona repeated. "You go. Kick ass."

Callie's hand left Arizona's scalp and traced down her body until it reached her hand. After squeezing it tight, Callie headed for the bedroom door, glancing back before exiting the room.

Arizona listened as she heard Callie's footsteps across the hardwood floor. She heard the jingle of Callie's keys and the click of the front door shutting.

The morning sun had made its way through the sheer white drapes and was now shining across the bed. Arizona layed there a minute before peering at the clock, and deciding that she should probably get up now if she wanted to have time to shower before Mark got here.

Arizona sat up in bed, throwing the covers back from her soft pale legs. She picked up each one, carefully placing it over the edge of the bed. She leaned over and pulled her wheelchair closer to her and locked the brakes. She transferred from the bed to the chair easily, and unlocked the brakes, making her way into the bathroom.

She rolled up to her side of the countertop and reached for her toothbrush and toothpaste. As she was brushing her teeth, she looked at the photo of her and her brother Timothy that was framed on her counter. The photo was from Arizona's graduation from medical school, and the pure happiness and joy on their face was priceless. Arizona longed for her protective big brother, and would give anything to go back to that memory. After she was finished brushing her teeth, she then started her shower, transferring from her chair once again when the water was warm enough.

Her stress over the course of the week had taken a toll on her body, and when Arizona's tight muscles loosened in the heat of the shower, she felt immediate relief. She closed her eyes and let the warm water run over her face. She imagined herself standing outside in a rainstorm on a warm summer night. Just imagining the scenario brought butterflies to her stomach.

She shampooed and conditioned her hair, shut off the water, and toweled herself off before moving from her shower chair to her regular one. She brushed through her hair and changed into a pair of joggers and a Lululemon zip-up workout sweatshirt. When she was done changing, Arizona strolled out into the apartment's common area, where she found Mark scrolling through his phone sitting at her kitchen counter. He looked up when he heard the familiar sound of rubber wheels on wooden floor.

"There she is!" Mark greeted her with a huge grin, his arms open wide.

Arizona couldn't help but laugh at her welcome into the kitchen. She twirled her chair around to show off, before Mark stood up from the stool he was sitting on, bending down to hug her and kiss her cheek.

"How's the princess on this very, very beautiful morning?" Mark asked as he sat back down.

"I'm good. Except for the fact that I'm _starving_ ," Arizona complained, placing a hand over her stomach as it growled in desperation.

Mark laughed as he walked over to the fruit basket on the kitchen table and grabbed a banana, slowly peeling it and obnoxiously savoring every bite, knowing how it would terrorize Arizona.

A pout appeared on the blonde's face as she raised an eyebrow and swiftly maneuvered her chair to roll over Mark's foot.

"Ow!" came a pained sound, muffled by the banana in his mouth.

Arizona smiled sweetly up at him before rolling over to grab the duffle bag she had left by the couch. Knowing the recovery time from this surgery would leave her in the hospital for a couple of weeks, Callie and Arizona had packed her a bag the night before full of clothes, toiletries, and everything she would need for her hospital stay.

"You ready?" Arizona said, taking in a deep breath.

Mark nodded.

"Whenever you are, 'Zo."

…

Just a couple hours later, Arizona was ready for surgery on the table within the familiar walls of OR 1. She could see many of her friends in the gallery waiting for the miraculous surgery to begin- Chief Hunt, Webber, Bailey, and many of the interns and residents were squished so tightly into the small viewing room that it had become standing room only.

Arizona saw Mark, leaned over resting his elbows on his knees as he bounced his leg up and down. Arizona immediately recognized his nervousness, and wished she could give him a big hug right now. Instead, all she could do was use her free arm- the one that wasn't attached to an IV and strapped down to the table- to wave up at him, the pulse ox on her finger blinking with each motion. He waved back.

The automatic door whooshed open, and Callie and Derek walked in, holding masks up over their mouths.

Derek whistled.

"Robbins, you look good in that gown and hair net- it suits you," he teased when he first saw her laying across the table.

Arizona giggled before switching her gaze to Callie.

"You ready?" Callie asked, as Arizona nodded. "I love you, and you're going to do amazing."

Arizona blushed.

"Well you're going to do _even more_ amazing! And I love you more!" Arizona smiled, her dimples appearing as her hand held Callie's. "Now, go scrub. I'll be here. I'll be fine."

Callie hesitated before squeezing Arizona's hand and nodding to the anesthesiologist, who pushed the fast-acting anesthetic through Arizona's IV. Callie stood by her side as Arizona's eyelids began to get heavier and heavier, until she was under.

Callie squeezed Arizona's hand once more before following Derek back to the scrub room so that they could tie their masks and scrub in for surgery.

Callie watched through the window as Arizona was intubated and moved on to her stomach for surgery. Was she really about to operate on the love of her life?!

When she was done scrubbing, she once again followed Derek to get gowned and gloved. Callie's heart was beating so hard that she was certain everyone in the room could see it pounding through her chest.

Derek requested the scalpel to make the first incision- one reaching from between her shoulder blades down to her tailbone. He rested his gloved hands on the small of Arizona's back before looking around the room and glancing up at the doctors watching from the gallery.

"It's a beautiful day to save lives," Derek said.

Callie let out the breath she was unaware she was even holding.

Derek's scalpel sliced into the soft skin on Arizona's back, all along where her original scar had healed.

With retractors in place, Arizona's spinal cord was open for the whole operating room and gallery to see.

"Woah," Callie breathed when she saw all of the rods and screws that are holding Arizona's spine together. Obviously, as an orthopedic surgeon, Callie had done plenty of spinal fusions herself, but they were never on people that she knew- or loved. It hadn't occurred to her how it would affect her to see the woman she loved in this vulnerable state.

"I… I c-can't. I can't do it," Callie stuttered, raising her hands and backing away from the table.

Everyone in the gallery gasped collectively and leaned forward to see what was going on that had sent Dr. Torres into a panic.

"Callie," Derek calmly stated.

Callie looked over at him, tears brimming in her eyes over her mask.

"You have done this before. You are the best in your craft. We have spent years perfecting this technique. You are beyond prepared and qualified to perform this procedure," Derek reminded her.

Callie nodded, slowly walking back towards the table.

"Nurse, can we please have a drape for Dr. Robbins' face, please?" Derek requested.

A nurse hurried to shield Arizona's face from view.

"There," Derek said when the drape was set. "Now this is just some normal, random patient. You've got this, Torres."

Callie nodded. He was right. She was more than prepared for this surgery, and it's a relatively simple one to begin with. _This is just another surgery._

…

Three hours later, Callie and Derek had placed and wired the stimulator and closed Arizona back up. They would have to wait until Arizona is awake and recovered before they would find out if it would work.

The entire operating room and gallery erupted in cheers and sighs of relief when the milestone surgery was completed. Everyone was grateful for the talent of the two surgeons operating and the well-being of the one on the table.

Derek and Callie sent Arizona to get post-op scans, while they scrubbed out.

Callie couldn't help but smile while she scrubbed, knowing how that operation has the potential to change the lives of Arizona and all of the other candidates.

"You did good work today, Torres," Derek told her as he vigorously scrubbed his hands and arms. "We both did."

"I have a good feeling that this will work," Callie responded. "Arizona is very lucky."

Callie toweled off her hands and pulled off her red scrub cap, tucking it in her scrub top pocket. When she opened the door to exit the scrub room and enter the OR floor hallway, she found Mark waiting outside.

She could see that he had been crying, and she hoped they were tears of joy.

Mark's face lit up when he saw the Latina and her hugged her, lifting her off the ground and even twirling her around before setting her back down on her feet.

"Thank you, Callie. You just changed her life in there. She will be even more independent now because of that surgery. All I can say is thank you," Mark said as he hugged her tight.

Callie, who had happy tears streaming from her eyes as well, framed Mark's face with her hands.

"I love her. And I love you. And I'm just so happy right now," Callie confessed as Mark pulled her in for another hug. Callie's head against Mark's chest as his chin rested on the top of her head.

Then, Derek emerged from the scrub room as well.

Another huge smile appeared on Mark's face, and Derek flashed an identical one. They hugged and slapped each other's backs in success.

"Congrats, brother. That was some sick surgery you just did."

"Anything for Arizona, you know that. I just hope that the recovery will be smooth and that the device works as it should," Derek told Mark, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm gonna go check her post-op scans now. Arizona's in the ICU if you both wanna go see her. She should be waking up soon."

Mark eagerly nodded as he practically jumped and ran to the elevator, Callie chasing after him.

…

The rhythmic beeping of the various machines was somewhat calming to Callie and Mark as they waited for Arizona to come to.

The two of them sat in chairs on opposite sides of Arizona's bed, each holding one of her hands.

It was a quiet night in the Seattle Grace Mercy West Intensive Care Unit tonight and for that, Callie was grateful. She needed this time to somewhat relax after the day she had had.

Callie held Arizona's right hand in her own, her thumbs stroking the skin the top of Arizona's hand.

All of a sudden, Callie felt Arizona's hand twitch. Callie gasped and sat more upright in her chair and waited for it to happen again to assure her that she hadn't imagined it.

Arizona's hand flinched again, more noticeably this time. Callie glanced up at Arizona's face where she could see that her eyes were starting to open.

"Mark," Callie said as she nodded towards the awakening blonde.

Mark's eyes lit up as he watched Arizona blink slowly before she started to wheeze.

"She's breathing over the vent. Shut it off and extubate her," Mark advised Callie, hitting the call button on the wall to alert a nurse and surgeon that she was waking up.

"Hey, 'Zo. I'm gonna take the tube out of your throat now okay?" Callie told her as she shut the ventilator off. "On the count of three, blow out. One, two, three."

Arizona coughed as Callie slid the tube out of her throat. Mark quickly covered Arizona's face with an oxygen mask so that she wouldn't cough so much and risk ruining the hundreds of sutures that had just closed up her back.

As the pure oxygen reached Arizona's lungs, her coughing ceased and she began to visibly relax. When her body had calmed down enough, Mark offered her sips of water through a straw and then replaced the oxygen mask with a nasal cannula.

"Hey, pretty girl," Callie said, brushing a stray hair away from Arizona's face.

"Hi," Arizona replied, her voice scratchy from the vent tube.

"How you feelin'?" Mark asked as he squeezed her hand three times.

"Groggy," Arizona replied as she winced. "And in pain."

"I can fix that," he told her as he increased her dose of pain medicine.

Just then, the door to the room slid open and Derek entered, followed by Lexie Grey.

"Hey, Arizona! How are you feeling?" Derek asked as he tucked the envelope that contained Arizona's scans under his arm.

"Mark just took care of the pain, so I'm pretty good," Arizona told him, forcing a small smile.

"That's good," Derek nodded as he pulled out the scans, handing them to Callie to look over.

"Your scans look amazing. I am very pleased. Aren't you, Dr. Torres?" Derek asked.

Callie studied the scans. They were picture perfect for how they should look immediately after surgery. They had succeeded with placing the stimulator.

Callie nodded.

"Yes. Extremely. They're… perfect," Callie said, smiling at Arizona as she passed them to her.

Arizona's face was stoic as she studied the invasive photographs of her own body. She was starting to get used to what the inside of her body looks like after the accident, but seeing her own scans will forever be shocking.

Arizona's eyes teared up as she passed them to Mark. Squeezing Callie's hand and looking at Derek, she whispered:

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," came Derek's reply.

Callie's eyes watered as well as she closed her eyes and kissed Arizona's cheek, resting her forehead on the side of Arizona's.

"You're _so_ welcome."

With that, Derek and Lexie left the room, leaving just Mark, Arizona and Callie.

Turning her head so that she could see Mark, Arizona smirked and said:

"You weren't a nervous wreck the whole surgery, were you?!"

"I was," came his giggled reply. "But so was she!" He pointed to Callie.

Callie nodded, confirming her feelings to Arizona.

"I almost couldn't do it."

"Well you did, and I'm proud of you," Arizona said as she brought Callie's hand up to her lips and kissed it, smiling sweetly into the brunette's eyes.

"Hey, can I please have something to eat already?! I'm starving!" Arizona groaned, looking in Mark's direction.

"Want me to go get you some of that Jell-O you like?" Mark asked.

"Would you?"

"Anything for you, princess," Mark replied as he ruffled her hair.

* * *

 **There you have it, folks! Derek and Callie implanted their device on Arizona, but how well will it work?! Let me know your thoughts in the reviews! I love reading them. Feel free to leave any ideas you have as well!**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


	16. Chapter 16

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **Hi everybody! Thank you for all of the feedback I've received so far on the last chapter! Here's a short new chapter... I think you will all really like this one, but hate me at the very end...! As always, let me know what you think about the story by leaving me a review or PM!**

 **Notice that this chapter begins with a large time jump!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 _~ SEVEN MONTHS LATER ~_

Callie glanced at her watch. She had just a couple of minutes to get from the ortho floor down to the rehab ward to make it to Arizona's physical therapy on time.

Callie closed the chart she had been writing in and handed it to the nurse at the nurses' station before clicking her pen and dropping it in the pocket of her lab coat.

It had been over seven months since Callie and Derek had performed their first spinal cord stimulation surgery on Arizona, and things had been going great so far.

Arizona took a temporary leave of absence from her job as a surgeon to focus on her well-being during her recovery. After weeks inpatient in the hospital, and several months of intense rehab, physical therapy, acupuncture, and aqua therapy, Arizona was hitting all of the post-surgery milestones right on time.

Callie and Derek liked to observe at least one of her physical therapy sessions each week, and Callie was going to be late if she didn't pick up her pace.

Changing her brisk walk into a jog, Callie opted for the stairs instead of the elevator in hopes to save time.

She burst through the doors to the therapy room just in time to find Derek sitting on a rolling stool beside Dean who was helping Arizona stretch out on the floor.

Thanks to the life-changing surgery, Arizona was now able to stand by herself at the parallel bars and walk without wearing leg braces, using her walker with some assistance from Dean. She still chooses to use her wheelchair for mobility, and will likely continue to use it full-time when she returns to work, but the time spent standing and walking has been great for her bone density, muscle tone, and blood flow. Considering that just a couple of months ago she was completely wheelchair bound, the slow progress she is making day by day is a great improvement.

"Nice of you to show up, Cal," Derek teased as an out of breath Callie approached the group. Callie knelt down to kiss Arizona's soft pink lips before she pulled over a stool for herself.

"I'm sure I didn't miss anything," Callie replied, glancing over at Arizona who shook her head.

"Nope, you're just in time, actually," Dean said, standing up and helping Arizona back into her wheelchair. He walked across the room to fetch the walker for Arizona to use.

Arizona sat in her chair with her hands folded neatly in her lap. She tried her best to hide her smile, but she just couldn't help it. Each and every therapy session made her all giddy inside. Though it was hard work, she couldn't help but be beside herself with the progress she was making.

Dean returned a moment later and placed the walker in front of Arizona's chair. Dean positioned himself behind Arizona and placed his hands on her hips, ready to help lift her into a standing position.

"When you're ready," Dean told her, as Arizona drew in a deep breath before struggling to push herself upwards.

Dean helped her up before sitting down in Arizona's wheelchair so that he could scoot behind her as she walked. Dean positioned his hands around Arizona's legs so that he could help to guide them forward and lock her knees so that they wouldn't buckle from underneath her.

Slowly at first, Arizona lifted each leg one by one. Her steps started out awkward and a little clumsy, but soon her body got the hang of the motions. As she continued on, each step was more and more choreographed and steady.

Though Arizona wasn't able to feel the spinal stimulator working, she knew it was, based on how she was able to use her hip flexors in order to move her leg forward with each step.

As she walked around the room, Dean right behind her, she marveled at the fact that just a few months ago, walking this distance with her leg braces would completely tire her out. Now, since the operation, she was doing it with ease. Oh, the miracles of modern medicine.

Arizona looked down at her feet. They were _moving_. Without clunky braces. Sure, Dean was helping her out and she was still using a walker, but really, this was the closest thing to walking "normally" since her accident. And it felt _good_. Freeing. Liberating. Normal.

Arizona grinned as she turned the corner and made eye contact with Callie. Her dimples popped and Callie was blinded by her dazzling white smile from across the room. The look of pure glee on Arizona's face made the late nights up researching, preparing and practicing all worth it.

 _This is what it was all about all along_ , Callie thought to herself.

Derek was thinking the same thing. Having dedicated his life to neurosurgery, he never thought he'd see the day that someone's paralysis was cured, or even improved- let alone that he'd be one of the doctors to develop the technique and perform the surgery!

The night that Derek operated on Arizona after her accident was one of the most stressful and pressure-filled nights of his life. Even though he knew that Arizona's complete loss of sensation was not a result of his operating skills, he still felt guilty whenever he saw the blonde wheeling around the hospital. Like he could've done more. But that all changed after the spinal column stimulator was implanted. Arizona is doing better than she ever has, and she has Derek and Callie to thank for that. To Derek, knowing that he not only physically restarted Arizona's heart, but also gave her a second chance at life, feels better than winning any award.

 **BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP BEEPBEEP**

Derek was snapped out of his reminiscing by the sound of his pager blaring on his hip. He picked up the little device and read the message, groaning when he saw that it was the ER. Immediately standing up, he went to meet Arizona on her way back over to where they sat before he dashed downstairs to evaluate his incoming trauma.

"Hey, I've gotta run. Hunt's got a possible intracranial bleed waiting for me down in the pit," Derek told her. Arizona nodded. "You're looking great. I'm proud of you! Kick some more ass today. See you soon." Derek put his arm around her and planting a kiss on her cheek before scurrying out the door.

Just a moment later, Arizona had made her way back to Callie.

"Ten minutes and fifteen seconds," Callie said, looking at her watch. "That's your best time yet!"

Arizona smiled as sweat dripped down the side of her face.

"Yay," came her exhausted reply.

Callie picked up a towel and dabbed the beads of sweat off of Arizona's forehead.

"Dr. Torres, do you want to walk her over to the parallel bars? I'm going to use the restroom, I'll be right back," Dean said, standing up from Arizona's chair.

Callie eagerly nodded.

"Come here," Callie said, bringing Arizona into a warm embrace, taking most of Arizona's weight on to herself as Dean moved the walker away.

"Ew! You don't want to kiss me! I'm all sweaty and gross," Arizona told the brunette, sticking her tongue out in protest.

"I don't care. You're always hot to me," Callie reminded her, puckering up her lips and closing her eyes.

Arizona rolled her eyes at the silliness of her girlfriend, giving in and pecking her on the lips.

After she got what she wanted, Callie slowly started to walk the twenty feet towards the parallel bars, guiding Arizona every step of the way. Callie released her tight grip on Arizona once she had steadied herself between the bars, one hand on either side to stabilize herself. Callie kept her hands protectively on Arizona's hips as they stood.

When Dean reentered the room, he didn't even have the chance to get a word out before he was shooed away.

"Hey, Dean, you don't mind if I talk to Calliope alone for a second, do you?" Arizona asked, flashing a hopeful look in his direction.

"Of course not. I'll be right in the back if you need anything, okay?" he replied.

Arizona nodded, and Dean retreated to one of the PT supply rooms.

"What was that about?" Callie asked when she turned back around to face the shorter woman.

Arizona smiled, her eyes only focused on Callie's lips. She removed one hand from the parallel bars to adjust Callie's silver heart necklace. Callie balanced Arizona with her own hands while the blonde flirted.

"Since you've come into my life- since the first time I saw you in my gallery- you have made my heart skip a beat whenever we're together. You make my stomach swarm with butterflies and my smile get bigger… and you push me to be the best version of myself everyday," Arizona said, using her free hand to play with Callie's hair while never breaking eye contact.

"Since the day that we met, you never saw me as 'disabled', you saw me as differently abled. You never doubted me, you have always been right there for me to lean on," Arizona gestured to Callie's strong hands that were holding her upright now, "and you have been my biggest cheerleader since day one. Never in my life have I loved someone the way that I love you."

Callie's heart swelled and her eyes filled up with tears. A giggle escaped her mouth, causing the water in her eyes to spill over. Arizona smiled and wiped the tear away off of Callie's cheek.

"Sooo… pretend that we are on a beach; picture somewhere with white sands and clear blue water. We're sitting under a cabana drinking pina coladas- not standing between parallel bars in a PT gym in Seattle. Imagine somewhere exotic when I ask you this…"

Arizona paused to collect her thoughts. Callie's warm chocolate colored eyes looked lovingly into Arizona's crystal blue ones.

"Calliope Iphegenia Torres, will you marry me?"

The look of surprise present on Callie's face was unforgettable. Callie pulled Arizona close into a passionate kiss. Callie's arms hugged around Arizona's body, with one of Arizona's hands buried under Callie's hair, the other still resting on the parallel bar.

When they finally needed air and broke apart, both women had huge smiles on their faces. Arizona licked her lips before asking:

"So is that a yes?"

Callie smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"It's a yes."

 **THE END.**

 _ **TO BE CONTINUED…**_

* * *

 **So there you have it everybody! The final chapter of "Invest In Love"! I have worked so hard on this story since the beginning of the summer and I am so proud of how it turned out. I am so glad that you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it! The feedback from this story has been phenomenal, and I very much enjoyed telling Arizona, Mark and Callie's story.**

 **But don't worry too much... I'm not done with this story yet! I have already planned a SEQUEL to it! I have a couple of other Calzona stories I want to write and share with you all first (a one-shot and a multi-chapter!), but the sequel to "Invest In Love" will be coming soon! You can all definitely look forward to that!**

 **Thank you so much to Shonda Rhimes for creating "Grey's Anatomy" and the characters of Arizona Robbins, Callie Torres and Mark Sloan, as well as thank yous going out to Jessica Capshaw, Sara Ramirez and Eric Dane for portraying them. Thank you to Tiphany Adams, Ally Poole Grizzard, and Chelsie Hill (and her book "Push Girl") for inspiring this story as well! Thank you to all of the amazing readers and reviewers who have read and followed along with this story- I appreciate you all so much!**

 **If you liked this story and/or you like my writing style and point of view, be sure to follow me here on FanFiction so that you are alerted when I post a new story and update my current stories! I am looking forward to sharing my new stories with you, and I hope you are all looking forward to them, as well as the upcoming sequel!**

 **xoxo Arizona Robbins MD**


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